Christmas Traditions Part 6 - Christmas Eve

I met my husband in 1990. From 1990 through December of 2005, we spent every Christmas Eve at his grandmother's home. The times of the gathering varied. Sometimes, it was at 2, sometimes at 6. Daniel's mom and uncle, his sister and her family, and five of his cousins and their family all come (some years, not everyone can make it, but you get the idea).

Daniel's grandmother, Nanny, would do the bulk of the cooking and preparation. In her later years, Daniel's nephew Jonathan was often there to help with things like decorating the tree and getting the table ready. We would all bring dishes to share. We would eat...some in the kitchen, some in the dining room, some in the living room. Before we ate, the kids would run around the yard playing. We would all gather in the kitchen and someone would say the blessing before we ate.

After we had stuffed ourselves on good food and conversation, we would clean up, then adjourn to the living room to pass out presents. Nanny always had a gift for everyone. Toys for the youngest, McDonald gift certificates for the older kids. And then a little something for all of us grown-ups...socks, tea towels, etc. And we all had gifts for Nanny and some of us had gifts for one another. After all the gift giving and Merry Christmas greetings and hugs, we would all go home.

A couple of years we went to see Christmas lights afterward with my sister-in-laws family, but it is pretty crowded, so we stopped that.