Christmas Post II

Christmas Eve at our church....there's an early "family" service for those of us with young ones who need to go to bed early. The service is geared toward the shorter attention span of children, and it's just a great family service. We love it.

The evening started off with our dear friend, C, playing a violin solo. It's the sweetest!

Eliette goes to the nursery during the service because she just wouldn't last. Maybe next year....
This year for the family service, instead of the kiddos acting out the Nativity, they showed a video. Remember the post about Eliette, the little black sheep in the manger?? Well---that was the video they were showing---from when the kids were supposed to be reenacting the Nativity. Eliette got billing credit for participation, though her little fussy face didn't appear in the video at all. {Hey, she tried, and it was nap time....}

The Christmas Eve service has just become a family tradition for us.... in an ever-changing world, and certainly within the new "normal" that we've defined as a family since Allen's death---the Christmas Eve service has become very important to us...to me. {We used to ALWAYS go to Mom's on Christmas Eve. Now, we just don't. We do it at a different time....and since that tradition has ended, we now do this. It's a good new tradition.} This year: Darnin and PawPaw joined us. THAT was a wonderful addition to our new normal.

Every year, as the candles are lit, and we sing the songs of Christmas in the sanctuary with the lights out, I always wish I was sitting in the choir loft looking out at the congregation---and just how neat and glowy and magical it must appear. It's just a wonderful, magical, beautiful time....

....and when it's over, you look around and you're surrounded by family and friends, and excited little kids that can't wait for morning to come.

Back at home we took pictures by our tree. We usually do the pics at the church, but this year we did it at home.  By then, Eliette's bow was gone (lost at church), but it didn't matter. She was somehow on point, and ready for pictures that night.

(I seriously LOVE love LOVE that picture above. My sweet blessings....)

So then what came next?
We had dinner at home, and headed over to the Nelson's for cookies. So fun to do that too!

Oh, her cookies are fabulous! Yum, yum, yum.
The boys call our families "FRAMILY." It's like friends-family because we are all so close. It's pretty awesome.

The kiddos exchange gifts that night.

So, we were there for a bit, and then had to head home. After all, Santa was coming that night.

That was happening while this was happening....

...and then....Santa came.