Christmas 2012: Christmas Eve

Our Christmas eve and Christmas day got shaken up quite a bit this year, and while Bryson and I were both a little off kilter because of it, the kids didn't really notice; they haven't had years and years of routine to make them wonder why things were different, so they just went with the flow.

First stop on Christmas eve ... the airport!  The kids and I got ready as quickly as we could to get to the airport to help pick up our family from Maine, the Cartwright/Curtins!  We met Grandpa E ...

... and Oma there.

Afterwards, we took some uber-tired relatives back to my parents' house and forced them to play and interact when they'd been up since 3:00 a.m.  Sorry, guys!

I mean, they had stuff to do, too.  Aunt Cynthia had some of their gifts sent to my parents so they could avoid having to schlep them on the plane.  Good thinking!  All they had to do then was wrap them.  Here, Aunt Cynthia is giving Laura a quick lesson on how to curl ribbon.

The kids even got to nap/rest at Oma's house!  Mollie definitely doesn't wake up right away most of the time.

The girl loves a good snuggle with her Aunt Christine.  Plus, nap time is often a reset button for her in terms of being cool with relatively new people.

The little kitchen set in my parents' basement has a long family history.  It was my mom and aunt's back when they were kids, then it got passed down to my sister and I, then to Laura and Delaney, and now it's back to my kids!  So, there was some understandable nostalgia when the Cartwright/Curtins saw it again for the first time.

Soon enough, we said goodbye to my side of the family and made our way over to my in-laws' house for our traditional Christmas eve festivities.  Isn't my mother-in-law's new tree gorgeous?!  It is so perfect for that space.

The extended family coming over from the other side of the state got caught in a bit of a snowstorm about halfway here, so we had a little extra time to get comfortable.  So the kids started watching Toy Story 2 with Bryson.

Eventually everyone made it there safely, and we started up the festivities.  Pizza for dinner, a performance by my niece (she's in first grade now and had her first holiday concert this year; she had much to share), gift opening, and dessert-eating.  And lots of togetherness ...

... best part of all.

All too soon we had to go home to get the kids in bed so they wouldn't be awake when Santa arrived.

Or his reindeer, for that matter.

I hope your Christmas eve was just as wonderful and filled with love.