Before we even married, Dave and I decided that we did not want to spend holidays racing from one side of the family to the other. So we thought it would be a fabulous idea to have one Christmas Dinner combining both families! Everyone else agreed it was a grand idea!

Last year everyone (my parents, Dave’s parents, grandparents and siblings) all went over to my parents’ house for Christmas. This year, we all headed to Dave’s parents’ house for Christmas!

I love traditions, but since being married, I’ve had to do some rearranging of past traditions. For years, I have been going to Grace and Evan’s house on Christmas Morning to give them their gifts. And for years, waking up Christmas Morning I was always at my parents’ house where I lived for 24 years before marrying!

Time has a way of changing things even though I still teasingly pleaded with Dave to let us get up and go to my parents’ house on Christmas Morning, then stop by Grace and Evan’s and then go to Dave’s parents’! He, of course, reminded me of what we had already decided years ago.

And I knew it was time. It was time to let go of past traditions and build new ones.

So Christmas began for us on Tuesday! We went to spend some time with Grace and Evan and had so much fun with them!

Evan and Dave enjoyed doing boy stuff and Grace and I enjoyed working on the scrapbook we had given her for Christmas. We also watched the classic Christmas movie “Home Alone”.

Then on Christmas Morning Dave and I read the Christmas Story and exchanged gifts with each other. Since it was on my parents’ way to stop at our house on the way to Dave’s parents’ house they, along with my brother and Grandmother, came over to our house to read the Christmas Story and exchange gifts on Christmas Morning. That was a last minute change of plans that I am glad we did!

<p>From there, we all headed to Dave’s parents’ house where we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Dinner! </p> <p> </p> <p>Christmas Eve Dave & I finished the “Grandma Rolls” my mom had made earlier that day! I have very fond memories of making these rolls every year at Christmas with my Grandma before she died. Another tradition that I’ve had to let go … but now I get to make them with my husband!</p> <p> </p> <p>So we all headed to Dave’s parents where Amanda got some coins from her great-grandmother and decided they would make cool sunglasses …</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>When I married Dave, little did I know I would later consider his sister, Amanda, one of my best friends! Such a blessing!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Wasn’t long and it was time to eat a yummy Christmas Dinner!!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>From far left: Dave’s Grandma, my parents (Roy and Norma) and Dave’s parents (David and Debbie)</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>The “kid table”! Does every Christmas Dinner have one??? Grandmother asked if she could sit with us because her feet don’t hit the ground at the dinning room table. :) </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>From left: Grandmother, Amanda, Wesley (my brother), me and Dave</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Between the two of us, Dave and I received four games for Christmas: Yahtzee Free for All, Clue, In a Pickle and Phase 10 Dice! By the end of the day we had played all four games, some multiple times! We love spending time with people playing games. It’s fun! </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Here we are playing Yahtzee Free for All. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>It was a wonderful Christmas Day celebrating the birth of Jesus by spending good quality time with family!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>And last but not least, here is Puppy and her FEARLESS little sister, Ellie on Christmas Eve. </p> <p>Seriously. Ellie is fearless. This little dog (who barely weighs 10lbs) was out in the backyard yesterday at Dave’s parents’ when she heard dogs barking in the next yard. (They live out in the country so the yards are huge.)</p> <p>These weren’t just little furry, friendly dogs like her, either. They were PIT BULLS. </p> <p>And what does fearless Ellie do? Oh, she takes off charging towards them, running down the side of the house to the street where she makes a sharp right hand turn and goes up to the fence barking like nobody’s business at these PIT BULLS who would have torn her to shreds had there been a hole in the fence. </p> <p>Meanwhile, my dad, with his artheretic knees, takes off running in the dust Ellie left behind to go rescue her. </p> <p>Needless to say, Ellie lost her privilege of roaming free and had to be on her leash whenever it was time to go outside for the rest of the day. </p> <p>FEARLESS. That dog is crazy! But we love her! </p> <p>************</p> <p>Christmas Miracles!!</p> <p>A couple in our small group at church are in the process of adopting three little boys. A few Sundays ago, they shared that it didn’t look like they were going to get the boys in time for Christmas. But it seems God got to work on a Christmas Miracle, because at the Christmas Eve service there they were with their three precious sons, just in time for Christmas! </p> <p>Another couple was expecting the birth of their son on the 30th of December (scheduled induction). But instead, her water broke on Christmas Day and their little miracle was born around 9:30pm on Christmas Day! </p> <p>There is another new post right below this one.***</p>

- Elaine