Christmas Catch Up

We began our Christmas celebration with a church service.  Before service began, we enjoyed a photo booth they had set up in the lobby.  It was a nice touch for the festivities. 

Being that our service was on Saturday and Christmas was on Monday, the vibe was a bit off since they felt so far apart.  But we took relaxation and preparation in stride and enjoyed our time.  We took a school break, and Jozsef took some time off of work, but he had a delicate balance to keep between spending time with us and making enough money to pay his bills, so he was home less than he would have liked.  John, however, enjoyed time off.  Since church was on a completely different day, Christmas Even and Christmas Day weren't terribly different here.  Both were filled with food, play, and time together.  The biggest difference was presents.  :-) 

Jozsef worked on Christmas Eve, so we decided to go have lunch where he was.  The restaurant wasn't terribly busy so he was able to visit with us a bit.  After pizza, John went to run a few last minute errands, and I took the kids to Stars N Strikes for a little fun.  The kids played at bumper cars and video games and tired to amass as many tickets as they could in order to take home the best prizes. 

The bumper car gang

Hannah loved this motorcycle racing game

The fishing game was a favorite.  Riley actually was able to hit the hardest target and get the biggest score possible.  Way to go Riley! 

Group games were the best fun

Connor won the Indominus Rex toy and graciously gave it to Riley because, well, Riley and dinosaurs go hand in hand.  :-) 

 They all walked out with something they were happy to take home and memories to match.  That night, when Jozsef was home from work and we had all eaten dinner, we played a new game.  John set us up to play the Saran Wrap Ball game.  If you haven't heard of it before, it's a game where prizes are wrapped at different levels of a saran wrapped ball.  A player rolls the dice until he gets doubles.  While he's rolling, the player to his left is fervently trying to unwrap as much of the ball as he can.  Whatever prizes he unveils he gets to keep.  This process is repeated around the circle until the ball of prizes is gone.  It was quite fun and I think we may have started a new tradition.  :-) 

Following the Saran Wrap game, the kids were each allowed to open one gift before we had dessert and settled in to watch a movie before bed. 

This year we tried our hand at making fudge, rum balls, and fruitcake.  We've made fudge before--it's a favorite of John's--but we've never made rum balls and fruitcake before.  The rum balls was my mom's recipe and they were well loved--the first treat we ran out of.  The fruitcake was John's mom's recipe.  Now I've never actually eaten fruit cake before, and I know it gets mixed reviews, but I thought it was pretty good, as did the kids, and John was just loving the flood of good memories he had around the dessert. 

Christmas morning started early enough with excited kids, a viewing of Sunrise Earth, and an egg casserole.  After everyone was fed and dressed, we settled in to enjoy opening gifts to a background of a roaring fireplace and Christmas tunes.  We open our gifts slowly, youngest to oldest, one at a time, so that we can see and appreciate each gift.  It's a long but enjoyable process. 

Sonja gifted Hannah with Barbie Pets and Hannah was most thrilled

Connor always enjoys adorning himself with the wrappings

When we're done with gift opening, and the clean up is completed, then we break off onto our own areas of interest, usually discovering in more detail a gift received.  Before you know it, it's time to make and enjoy dinner, dessert, and a movie before bed. 

Our kitchen is one of the smallest we've ever had, which poses challenges for a large family.  After moving in, we realized that this is also the first kitchen we've had that did not have an island.  The lack of counter space is especially apparent when we are making meals.  We finally decided to get a mobile counter top extension in the shape of a cart.  It's as big as our small space will allow, but it's super helpful.  We put it into action for the first time in preparing for our Christmas meal.

We go non-traditional for Christmas and enjoy homemade sushi.  This year John even made special rolls filled with salmon, mango, cucumber, and avocado.  Can you say "yummy"?  :-) 

By then, we're usually really ready for sleep. 

The days after Christmas are enjoyed in various relaxing ways, generally speaking, until the New Year celebration begins.  But we focus on one holiday at a time.  We like to relish them that way.  :-)

Nikolas gifted Jozsef a handheld electronic Oregon Trail game.  Jozsef loved the retro feel and reminisced the days of PC play of the game.  This version became popular with the kids quickly and they spent a good amount of time playing together.  

My hope is that peace and joy filled your home this year, as we remembered the best gift ever given--The Christ Child.  Merry Christmas!