Growing up, my mom, dad, sisters and I always went to my Dad’s parents – Grandma and Grandaddy’s – on Christmas Eve. They would cook dinner, we would exchange gifts, and then we would go home to get ready for bed (and Santa’s visit!). Now that my sisters and I are older {shh! don’t tell anyone!} and we have husbands and families of our own, each year is a little different. Sometimes we’re all here on Christmas Eve and sometimes we’re not; this year, we’re not. Whitney and Mike are at Mike’s parents and Bev and Ben are at Ben’s parents, so Jim and I invited Mom and Dad to go to the Christmas Eve service at our church and then to come over for dinner.
The sanctuary was packed when we arrived at church at 5:30, so we had to go to the fellowship hall for the “overflow crowd” and watch the service on projector screens. At first, I was totally bummed about that because I love our church and this service in particular – children act out parts of the nativity and the music is beautiful. However, I quickly realized that seeing the service from the fellowship hall was the best scenario for our little family. Remember that toddler of mine? She doesn’t understand that she should sit still, or at least sit quietly, in church! Luckily, most of the people around us thought she was cute, and she finally sat in my lap for the last two songs of the service.
We made it home in time for Molly’s bedtime and then we had dinner. I made baked ziti in honor of Jim’s family – his aunt Dede always makes baked ziti at Christmas. I was excited to host dinner tonight {but was kind of relieved there were just four of us – hosting a holiday meal is a lot of pressure!}. I used my Nana’s china and crystal, which always makes me smile. As I was washing the dishes tonight, I lingered a bit on the china plates and serving pieces, thinking about what a special lady Nana was. Christmas at her house meant M&M cookies and racing my cousin Randy up the stairs for the last of the ham and cheese party sandwiches. {Hmmm…those might show up as a recipe here soon!}
Although so many things have changed over the years and we do so many things differently during the holidays, I cherish the memories I have from my childhood and love to include as many of them into our new life as I can. I hope that we are creating wonderful memories for Molly. I know that *I* love the little traditions that seem to be forming as we grow into a family.
I can’t wait to see both my sisters and their husbands, my nephews and niece, and my parents tomorrow morning! But even more exciting? I can’t wait to see what Molly thinks about Christmas morning! I know that Jim and I had so much fun preparing for tomorrow morning, so if Molly has half as much fun then it will be a success.
{And just because, a few pictures from my dining room tonight:}
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Life with Sweet Peaches 