Every year on Christmas Eve my dad's side of the family gets together at my grandparents house. This means my aunt Reg and my uncle Bob and their 3 kids Todd, Chad and Troy, my aunt Lori and uncle Bill and their son Eric and Bill's mom Fran, my parents and me and Danny, and of course my grandparents. A normal Christmas Eve involves meeting around 2 or 3 and playing games or just enjoying each others company. Then we do our "Christmas program", which usually involves reading the Christmas story from Luke and singing some Christmas songs. Then prayer and eating a wonderful meal. Recently we also started doing Bingo after we eat. After we eat we all draw on the table cloth that has been around at every Christmas. After drawing it's white elephant Bingo then the passing of the gifts. Opening them in this order, Eric, Troy, Me, Chad, Todd (all the "kids" go first opening one gift each time). Then it's the adults turn. Sometimes they go in order of youngest to oldest and others they just go in a line of who's sitting where. Then after gifts we sit for a while, then Reg and Bob leave to go to church and not long after we all leave as well.
That's a normal Christmas Eve in the Wise-Huff family. This year was different however. Most of us met at 3. Those of us that were there played a very quick game of pictionary until the Huff's arrived. Then Fran came and it was time to eat. We had the traditional Christmas Eve punch (my favorite punch ever made!) and drew on the table cloth as normal. But normally we do our "Christmas program" before we eat, well this year it was afterward. We went into the Living Room and Lori, Bill and Eric started the program. We sang and listened to the readings. Then we did something a little different.
In the center of the window sill were a big red candle and a bunch of little white tea light candles. Lori said they this was a time to reflect on memories and the past years. It started with Grandma and went from there. We laughed and we cried. We reminisced about past Christmas's and good times with family. And every time a memory was shared a tea light would be lit. It made me realize just how special my family truly is. I don't know of a closer more tightly knit family than ours. When I can say that my cousins are like my younger and older brothers that's amazing to me. I love my family so much they mean the world to me. And being able to look back and hear stories of Christmas's long ago and just fun times before was just an stupendous thing to do. After our look back we sang Joy to the World, Jingle Bells, The 12 days of Catmas, and last but not least We wish you a Merry Christmas. After this we took the annual "kids" Christmas picture. Then gifts.
Christmas Eve is such a special time in my family and I would not trade it for anything. On Christmas Day, each family does its own thing in the morning. Then in late afternoon we all gather at the Huff farm in Bremen for soup, treats and TONS of games.
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!!
1 comment:
Hey! I just found your blog, and thought that I better comment. This is a great write up of our Christmas Eve tradition. I don't know how we got so lucky to have such a great family... If you need anyone to talk to, you know I am here for you. I kinda know how you are feeling.
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