Christmas Eve

I am still trying to find a great Christmas Eve tradition for our girls. When I was growing up, after the stores would close and just before dark, we'd get dressed in our best outfits, (my Christmas dress was always picked out well in advance) then we'd visit our family. Luckily, all of my family lived in the same city.

We'd first visit with my mom's side of the family and we'd munch on a cheese ball, and sausage or ham and crackers. I'd play Santa's Elf and hand out the gifts and boss everyone around and feel like the star of a show. We'd take turns opening each present one by one and laughing and making comments on each other's gifts. Christmas Eve was also my grandmother's birthday, so we'd have birthday cake too.

Then, close to 10 pm, we'd head over to my dad's side of the family. My dad has 10 brothers and sisters. Most all of them make it Christmas Eve. And they all have kids. It's quite a fiesta. My dad's side of the family is Mexican and my grandmother makes the best tamales I've ever had. She makes them every Christmas. We'd say the rosary, and eat and visit and sing a song to welcome Jesus. At the stroke of midnight, we'd give kisses and hugs and wish each other Merry Christmas and open our gifts. (My aunt plays Santa's Elf.) It was so crazy and so fun. Then we'd all play with our new toys until about 2 am.

Actually, that was my Christmas tradition all the way up until we moved away. Even the first year we were married, we kept the same routine. We visited with Shane's family Christmas Day. Then he joined the Air Force and we moved to Mississippi. There we had our first little girl and although her first Christmas was in TX continuing my tradition, we wanted our children to have their own traditions. We wanted them to wake up in their own beds, not in a hotel room, with Santa having visited their home.

However, besides going to church Christmas Eve, we haven't quite set any traditions. This year, I was going to do a make-ahead dinner and we were going to go to mass and come home and eat. I was going to attempt "Veal Loin stuffed with Goat Cheese and Roasted Peppers" from Paula Deen. I thought the red and white would look festive. I told Shane it was "Veal Stuffed with Cheese and Peppers" because I don't think he would be thrilled to try goat cheese. I've had it on a steak before and really enjoyed it so I think he would too. But I've come to learn if I want him to try new things, it's best not to tell him what it is.

Christmas Eve day was spent shopping - for ourselves - using any Christmas money we'd received. The girls were good sports but were getting tired and cranky so I didn't have time to go to the store for the ingredients. We definitely needed a break if we wanted good girls at church that night. So, while they napped, I made enchiladas from a box. (That really made me miss my grandmother's tamales. But it felt nice eating Mexican food.) We woke the girls up for dinner and Olivia would have nothing to do with it, but Juliana scarfed it down. Gabriella is still on baby food. I made Olivia a cheese sandwich, and then made another for Juli so they wouldn't fight over it. For the most part, the girls were angels throughout the service. Juliana finished her nap on Daddy and Olivia did eat half of her cheese sandwich. She mutilated the other half with water and her fingers until it was soggy mush that I had to wrap in a paper towel. Gabi is content as long as she held, so she is held all of the time.

We got home and bathed the children and put them to bed. We told them they better stay in their room if they wanted Santa to come, so for once, they didn't come out. Shane and I wrapped their presents, which we kept saying we were going to do every night that week. He had beer, I had wine, and it was a Silent Night - the best kind of night around here.

I don't know if this will be our Christmas Eve tradition every year, but I realized it's not important. It doesn't matter what we do, or who we do it with. For now, the best part of Christmas is being together as a family.