Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

Let the fun begin! Every Christmas I am reminded how lucky we are that 

a) both sides of the family celebrate about three miles apart, which makes it easy on Kyle, Nathan and me.

b) both sides of the family are amazing. And welcoming. And accommodating. And fun. And understanding.

At noon on Christmas Eve, we celebrated the Crockett Christmas at Carlos and Kim's. I do love a lot about my in-laws, but on Christmas I love that each present is wrapped with meticulous care, including bows, ribbons and gift tags that sometimes have their own bows and ribbons.  I always take my bows and ribbons home.  I don't know why, I just can't bear to throw them away.  I also love how we open gifts.  Someone starts and then after they open their gift, it is up to them to select the next gift and pass it out to the next recipient.  We do this until all the gifts are gone.  I also love that Sandy signs all her gifts "S. Claus" or "Sandra Claus."  I also love that you have to guess what is in your gift before you open it.  I think the boxes could be empty and it would still be fun.

Claire enjoying appetizers 

S. Claus and Nathan 

Nathan in Claire's play station. Thanks for letting us borrow this--he LOVES it.

Laura, Claire, Kendall & Nathan

Sandra Claus and Nathan

Then it was off to Christmas Eve church services at the People's Church in East Lansing with the Bupps.  We started a little tradition last year:  Kyle and I take the Allen girls early, I save seats and Kyle takes his ladies for Holiday hot chocolate next door.  Pretty much the cutest thing ever.

Sage & Sophie

Off to get Holiday Hot Chocolate!

I couldn't change settings fast enough to get a clear shot, but it was REAL CUTE

All dressed up

Candlelight service (sorry, blurry again)

After church we have a lovely surf and turf dinner and open family presents, one by one just like Crocketts.  At Bupps, though, the boys pass out all the presents at the beginning and then we open oldest to youngest, then youngest to oldest again until we are done.  I love how we all go straight for calendar my dad makes--that one is too good to open one at a time.  If someone opens it, we all tear into it and gift opening gets delayed while we all get a first look.  I also love how at each turn, several people chime in with advice, "Open the red one!" or "Open mine!" or "Don't open that one yet!"

Christmas jammies

Heather and Matt couldn't be with us Christmas Eve, and Hadi (our name for Heather) got up at o'dark thirty to see what Santa brought. Poor Hadi arrived to a sleeping house and had to wait over an hour for wake ups to begin!

After a full day of Christmas fun--including a skype session to celebrate with the North Carolina Bupps--Gram and Beepa, Robinsons and Allens joined Kyle, Nathan and me for Christmas desserts and drinks over at Carlos and Kim's with the rest of the Crockett family. I just requested pictures from Laura and will update upon receipt. (Yes, I forgot my camera again. Maybe it was a good thing, though, because my cosmopolitan and I got caught in a game of "bottoms up" with Kendall...don't ask).

:)sbc