Christmas, Christmas!

The last few years we've ended up celebrating Christmas in shifts, to be able to spend time with as many of the kids as possible, while letting them do their own Christmas traditions. Some times they come to our house, sometimes we go to their houses. We make it work as much as possible. Yeah, so we ended up spreading Christmas across several days, which is perfectly fine. In some ways it's more fun since we get to have several little "mini-celebrations", which is fun.

So this year it began when Blaubeere and all her family came over and had dinner with us. We didn't actually open presents with them, they took them back to be incorporated into their family celebration on Christmas day. But we did spend some time making some fun Christmas decorations.

The decorations we made were stars. Brombeere had cut all the material out before hand.

So each person picked the material they wanted to use and folded each piece into triangles.

Then they were placed together just right and, with a button on it as a guide, the three pieces were stitched together to make make a star. This young man did pretty good at threading his own needle, I was impressed.

Then you sew a loop in the tip to use to hang it on the tree and you end up with a pretty nice little Christmas ornament. Pretty slick! Everybody did at least one, some made two. It was a fun time.

The next installment was a few days later, on Christmas Eve, when a host of kids converged on our home.  Maulbeere, Himbeere, Schwarzbeere, and Stachelbeere were all there, including Schwartzbeere's whole family.

Normally, Christmas Eve is not a gift opening day in our family but this was our time with Himbeere, they were spending Christmas day with the other side of the family, so we opened their gifts on Christmas Eve.  And, because the first words out of the mouth of Schwarzbeere's oldest, as he came in the door to our house, where, "Can we open presents now?" we decided to let each of the kids open one gift as well.  

So the kids got to open a gift each, everyone got to open at least one gift.  That made the kids happy but still saved the majority of the gifts for Christmas morning, which is more the tradition at our house.

Stachelbeere and friend had come the farthest, they had flown in from California the day before and were staying several days before heading back out west with us. They'd spent a few days with her family before coming to our house.

So we all opened gifts and enjoyed the good company before digging into the Christmas feast.

Brombeere had put on a spectacular spread of goodies for dinner. Yeah, it wasn't all sweets and candy, there was good, healthy stuff available for those that wanted it (crazy, huh!?). So we gabbed, ate, gabbed, and played for a while. Then the Himbeere's had to head out. But everyone else was staying for Christmas day. That was a nice thing.

The plan had been to frost cookies with the kids while they were here but it didn't quite happen that way. The kids were worn out and went to bed but the grown-ups still wanted to do cookies so we got everything out anyway.

We had made the cookies before hand so it was just a matter of whipping up some frosting and getting out all the usual sprinkles and decorations to go on the cookies, just basic sugar cookies.  Those are the best kind, after all, especially at Christmas.

So we all got to it.  We used oversized popsicle sticks to spread the frosting.  It actually worked quite well.

So, gathered around the kitchen table, we exercised our artistic skills and talked and talked, into the night.  It was a good time.

And in the end, we had some pretty nice looking cookies.

They were creative, if nothing else. Have to admit, a few got eaten right away as well, but we saved most so the kids could enjoy them on Christmas. Then there was nothing left but to go to bed so jolly ol' St Nick could come.

A short time later the stockings were filled and set out ...

... as was a table full of more goodies (including some good, healthy stuff).  After all, at our house, food on Christmas Day is pretty much do-it-yourself and no meals are prepared.  Just lots of good stuff available all day whenever you feel like getting something.

And so, with everything ready for the morning, we all headed off to bed.

Nobody was in any kind of a hurry to get up Christmas morning, not even the kids. Some of us were even able to get up and grab a quick shower before the festivities began. That never used to happen when our kids were little. But it was nice to have happen this year. So we got up, opened presents, and had a very nice morning.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the fun things we all got and just visiting. And "grazing".  They say that's a poor eating practice but for Christmas Day, when there's so many fun, yummy, and unusual things available, it's the way to go. Besides, who wants to spend time fixing meals when there new stuff to be played with!

Christmas day, Friday, Schwartzbeere and family had to take off to go do some celebrating with the other side of the family. Maubeere stayed until Saturday before they went back home. Stachelbeere was staying with us until it was time to head west to see Mosebeere and Heidlebeere, they actually were going to travel back with us.  So Saturday and Sunday were quiet days at our house.  Then Monday came bright and early.

All things considered, we actually got started Monday morning in pretty good time. The drive was pretty uneventful, except for a little weather we ran into in western Nebraska. But that only slowed us down, it didn't stop us like has happened on other winter trips out west.

So we drove and drove and drove and drove, with an occasional stop for gas, food, or to stretch, plus an over night stop, and finally, Tuesday evening, we pulled into Moosbeere's place. When we went out to visit last September we were able to isolate before going, which allowed us to stay with Moosbeere for the first part of our visit.  This time we were unable to do that.

So our Christmas celebration with Moosbeere's family was a "porch visit" out in their driveway.

But it was a good visit, we opened gifts and talked and talked, bundled up against the cold, out in the driveway.

It was fun, although I have to admit that the kids disappeared not too long after the gifts were opened because of the cold. But the adults continued talking and visiting, knowing this was all we were going to get. But eventually the cold won out and after over an hour we had to bring it to an end.

The next stop was Heidlebeere's place.  Our Christmas celebration with them was the next morning.

And it was a good time, there were, after all, little kids involved again. 

So after a period of excitement, chaos, opening, and enjoying, the room was a mess and the celebration was a good time.  

Alas, every year, Christmas season comes and goes too fast. But that was it. We were able to see all of our kids and grandkids except Erdbeere and her family but they are close enough that we're hoping to be able to make up for all the missed visits during the coming summer and the rest of the year after that, once things move closer to normal. Once again, it's been a great Christmas and a lot of fun, lots of travel, lots of scattering about, and lots of fun with family. That is, after all, a lot of what Christmas is all about!