A Time for Joy

This is Christmas at my great grand-mother's house.  It's my mom's grandmother.  I love Christmas Eve here. It's warm. It's familiar. It's family. You are always loved in this family. Even if you are a guest, they take you in and smother you in love. We are the family where you have to start leaving 20 minutes early because it takes that long to make your way out the door! There is always one more hug or a quick conversation before you go.

When I was younger, I'm pretty sure it was my favorite day of the year. Even the drive home was full of excitement, singing Christmas carols in car while watching the stars and looking for Christmas lights

Brent and I haven't always been able to make it for the Christmas Eve family dinner. But this year, we  made it with the kids!

There are always casseroles upon casserole on the table in the kitchen. There are plenty of sides, rolls in baskets, and there is a whole other room for desserts. Did you hear me, people? The desserts have their own room!

Let me tell you about the dessert that took the cake this year. It was an actual cake. A five layer cake.
Get your tastebuds ready. This cake had 3 layers of red velvet, (Are you salivating yet? It gets better.) Layered between the red velvet are 2 layers of white chocolate cheesecake, covered in white chocolate icing. AHHHH, can you smell the white chocolate? This cake is meant for savoring every last crumb of icing.

Do you have an Uncle Danny in your family? If not, you need to get one. Uncle Dannys are the best. 

Here he is pictured playing "Santa Says" with the kids during the after-dinner-clean-up-before-presents-are-opened marathon. Most of the men do the dishes. This year my aunts opted for the plates and cups that could go in the dishwasher, instead of the usual china and silver that must be hand-washed. In kid world, that takes forever and a half. This year's clean up was a snap! 

Brent read Luke 2 for the family. On another note, do you see the tree? In my day as a kid/teenager the tree took up the entire corner. You couldn't even see the window and the branch stretched till they touch the ceiling. We scaled down a bit during recent years, but it was still as lovely.

The picture below was taken during the middle of the reading. Bre's face cracks me up. Her cousins appear to be listening. Breanna, not so much! 

Kids play their own round of Dirty Santa. Breanna kept calling Stinky Santa! HA! They also received gifts from various aunts and uncles.

During the adult's game of Dirty Santa, they chilled out in here investigating new toys.

Then the games begin! During Dirty Santa at this house you will find:

Dancing.

The occasional strange gift that manages to get "stolen" 3 times. We wound up with it and fit nicely in a box labeled to my father-in-law for part of his gift.  (by-the-way, he loved it!)

You will always hear joking, laughter, and chuckling. 

There is probably more laughter than conversation.

Please tell me you can feel and hear the laughter that is coming out of this picture. 

The end of the game could possibly be the most anticipated part of the game each year. We always end in a wild paper-wad snowball fight! I think this wad missed it's mark!

Training younger generations! She's quite a good shot too!

This year, about 25 family members who needed to be somewhere else for Christmas Eve and the house was still bursting with people!

I love this house. I love this family. I wouldn't trade them for yours.  I love to be with them and regret I am not more involved in their lives. 

I know in years to come I will miss this house.  I will miss these portraits. My grandmother's portrait is second from the left. 

I will miss these ornaments. Oh, you are wondering about the "L". Well that's a nice little story. During a paper fight one year the "L" was pegged by my cousin. The little ornament fell and broke. Tracy's heart broke with it. This year, she gave Mamow a new Noel decoration for her birthday. But these little angels are still around because it would be Christmas without them!

The new Noel is pictured below. 

This is my great-grandmother. She turned 97 in November. Here she is with Aunt Cheryl and Breanna

I guess your wondering why I will miss this house. My mamow needs constant care now. She's a spry, feisty lady who has lived by herself for awhile now and when she moves, the house will be sold. 

I wanted to take a picture of everything in the house. Then I realized that no one would really understand why I took a picture of 2 pictures of the cats that hang side by side in the pink flower wall-papered bathroom or of the smiley two girls that hang in the first bedroom. I wanted it because I think one looks a little bit like me.

I think I wanted the pictures of the house because of its consistency. It's a house that rings of the past, present, and future. I expect to see the faces in the pictures, the decorations on end tables and to sit on the pillows on the fireplace. Consistency bring felt security. Security brings connection. Connection reaches your soul. 

It was the end of the night when I finally snatched a few shots. But nothing likeI wanted to take. It was time to go and three kids are hard to round up when they are pumped by spending time with cousins. 

I didn't take as many pictures, because I realized the real connection is my family, not a house. The house will go, but the people will stay.

We have new traditions to start, new Christmas decor to break, and new recipes to cook. 

It's going to be a new Christmas Eve next year. But mostly, it will be still be filled with love, warmth, acceptance, and grace that will always be apart of our family.