Last Christmas Eve was something I did not want to repeat! I LOVE going to the Christmas Eve service at our church or my Grandmother’s church and, last year, I had visions of standing in church with my family of four and just relishing in the blessings that 2011 had brought.

Instead, at the end of the night, we ended up walking the hallways in the frigid cold with a toddler who wanted to talk along with the preacher and a screaming, overstimulated baby. It was simply put: stressful.

I vowed next Christmas we’d come up with an alternative Christmas Eve tradition that didn’t involve rushing around trying to feed and dress two little girls and make it to Christmas Eve service on time just to end up walking the hallways! Really. What was the point??!

And this is what we came up with – and it was perfect.

We went over to my parents’ house on Christmas Eve and my mom cooked a wonderful Christmas Eve lunch. We leisurely got the girls dressed in their beautiful Christmas dresses after naptime and took some lovely pictures.

Little Bug, for the first time in her 3.5 years, completely cooperated with the picture-taking and was like a little model posing for the camera. She was SO excited to wear her Christmas dress. I want to add here that I bought the girls Christmas dresses this year at the second hand store for less than $15 total!

Don’t smile, Sweet Pea!

We took a family picture. Pictured here are my parents on the left, followed by my brother, Wesley, and my Grandmother.

And then, we had our own little Christmas Eve service right there in my parents’ living room, complete with Christmas Carols and The Christmas Story. It was a night I will always remember!

The girls walked around as we sang and even danced a little to the music. It was perfect and I got to enjoy the whole “service”!

After singing we had an intercession for a bit so Gramps could put out the luminaries with his little helpers and my mom warmed up some leftovers for the girls to eat dinner.

While the girls ate, we read The Christmas Story of Jesus’ birth!

After the girls ate, we gave them a quick bath, put them in their warm Christmas pjs and then headed out to look at Christmas lights!

Santa Claus is always in the neighborhood behind my parents’ neighborhood so we went to find him! He gave Little Bug a candy cane.

I love this picture! Santa and I are the only ones looking at the camera! Sweet Pea is checking him out, Little Bug has one thing on her mind – eating her candy cane – and Dave is enjoying watching his girls enjoy this wonderful night.

Little Bug found Baby Jesus and wanted to walk right up to Him lying in the manger.

Little Bug thought that monkey was so silly!!

It truly was the perfect (stress-free!) Christmas Eve! We got the girls home just in time to change them into their matching Christmas pjs my mom had gotten for them and tuck them in bed!

And then I had fun playing Santa!

- Elaine