Christmas Eve: The Get Together

 On Christmas Eve we had Nee, Papa G, Aunt Sheila, Nana, and Papa Harmon over for finger foods and games.  The rest of the family was scattered to different places so we thought it would be fun to have a grandparent party.

 I love my little plate...

...and I love cocktail meatballs so I made them (and had enough of the sauce left over to bring to our Christmas meal the next day) and a few other things.


The guys were watching something (I can't remember what) so I made a couple of last minute gifts while I cooked....

Aaron and Jake had said how cool these Star Wars ornaments were one time when we were at Walmart...but they were $9 a piece so I made some.  At Walmart R2D2 and....

...C3PO figurines were sold together for $8.  So I added some ribbon and wa-la!  Two Star Wars ornaments!  They love them!

This was the first time I have used my Buffet as a Buffet.  Can you see how our Nativity was now official with the Jake figurine in the front.  I have told this story a million times and I will tell it a million more.  When Jake was about 4 he put up the Nativity and ran out of the room.  When he came back he had "his Willowtree figurine" (the one that we said was him)-a boy holding a gold heart.  He put himself into the Nativity and looking at Baby Jesus and we have done it every year since then. 

I had to take a picture of the adorable Snow man plates I found.

We were lucky to have everyone there for dinner.  Everyone except Aunt Sheila had been sick and she says she only avoided it because she had been working so much in her house that she hadn't gone any where to catch it.  This years cold is a head/chest cold that holds on...I took my tea and it never went into my chest!

Sadie was so good.  She went and laid on her bed until she heard chairs being pushed back signifying we were done.  She is always willing to help clean up any plates we need her help with.

  We played a homemade Christmas version of headbands.  You put a paper on your forehead that has a word on it.  You have to ask yes or no questions to guess what it is.  It gets pretty funny!

Especially when people spell it wrong and the person trying to guess tries to cheat and see the reflection in your glasses!

We ended on Jesus.  Although this shot is of them being goofballs it was a great one to end on and it lead us into the living room to watch The Nativity and He Is The Gift videos on LDS.org.  I don't know what it is about it but I cannot watch He Is The Gift without crying-the kind of cry that you have to try not to make noise when you cry.  It is amazing.  If you haven't seen it go and look it up.  It.Is.The.Best.

In fact here it is He Is The Gift.   And of course The Nativity is amazing too and you can find it there too.  But I am going to make you search if you want to see that too.  You never know what else you may stumble upon that will be just what you needed to hear.

It is a blessing to live in the same town as both sets of Grandparents and a Great Aunt.  To say Jake is spoiled is an understatement-and he deserves every bit of it!