After the warm, wet weather we experienced on the 23rd,
we had clear, somewhat cooler weather on Christmas Eve. After going to bed at
1:30 in the morning I was up by 8, a little tired but ready for a big day.
First thing in the morning I was off to Wal-Mart with Kyle
and Kevin to finish (or perhaps even start) their Christmas shopping.
Surprisingly, the Wal-Mart was not too crowded. I had to pick up a couple of
small items but Kyle and Kevin had to do all their shopping so it took them
about 2 hours. I roamed around the store to see what they carry. I have never
spent that much time in a Wal-Mart so I learned a lot about the variety of
things they have in stock.
After shopping at Wal-Mart Kyle and Kevin wanted to stop at
Great Clips to get their hair cut. There was a 25 minute wait so while they
were waiting I drove across the street and filled the car with gas. I was going
to get a soda but when I went inside the station there were about 20 people in
line. I think they were picking up lottery tickets before the holiday.
We returned home for a light lunch then spent the remainder
of the afternoon getting ready for Christmas Eve. Maren cooked, Kyle and Kevin
watched TV, Susie played with Tess, Josh and Cole played matchbook cars on the stairs, and I took a much needed nap.
We started the evenings’ festivities with a somewhat formal
dinner of ham, lasagna, salad, and rolls, with soda and cranberry juice ice
cubes. It was very good. Since we were eating at an 8 foot long picnic table
with folding chairs it wasn’t formal but with the china, crystal, and
silverware it was quite elegant.
Then the grandkids had to search for their new pajamas that
Lance had hidden around the living room area. Once those were found we all
changed into our pajamas for the reading of the Children's Friend Advent calendar story.
Following the advent we posed for our family photo in
pajamas. Hopefully it will go smoother on Tuesday when we have our formal
family pictures taken. Evening is not the best time to get full cooperation
from a 4 year old.
Next it was time for Christmas Eve Bingo. With good planning
and coordination between Maren and Susie, Tess won the first round and got to
pick the sparkly pens. Because Bingo is a game of chance and not skill Lance
was the last person to win a round instead of the first.
We finished off the
evening with dessert of ginger pear cheese cake and coal. (Coal is a mixture of
crumbled up Oreos and cream cheese).
Finally we read from the Book of Mormon and had prayers and
stories and all the grandchildren were off to bed. Kyle and Kevin went
downstairs to watch TV and to wrap presents. Around 10 pm we filled the
stockings and put out all our presents. Then Susie read while I watched “It’s A
Wonderful Life”. We finally turned off the lights around midnight. Not the
smartest thing because we expected to be up around 6 am.
