Christmas Eve With the Johnsons

In all the years that we’ve been friends with the Johnsons, (15 and counting), we have never been together for Christmas Eve.  Even during medical school we were usually flying home spending time with family and not with each other.  So we were pretty excited to finally enjoy it together with them in our home.  They came up on Friday (Christmas Adam) and we quickly gave them their Christmas present which was a Spaetzle Press and then showed them how to make fresh Spaetzle.  We are not pros, but Jared did recently learn from his brother Dave and our brother in law Ryan who were here a month ago and showed him how.  Dave and Ryan both served missions in Germany.  After some Cheese Spaetzle and games, we ordered pizza from a nearby village (Weilerbach) and then headed out for the 7 pm showing of Sherlock Holmes and ran into half of our ward there!  We left  four very capable babysitters in charge back at the house namely: Carter, Hanna, Ryan, and Katie.  We had a great time at the show and Lisa and I bought some Polish Pottery at the BX from the line that she has helped me fall in love with! 

Christmas Eve day was spent in preparing for the big dinner and evening time activities.  There were games of Dominion, Christmas movies, Soccer games in the field across the street, Christmas BINGO and lots and lots of Christmas music constantly going on.  

Dinner was finally served around 3pm.  The menu consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, rolls, candied yams, cranberry sauce, green salad, pretzel jello, orange jello, pickles and olives.  So glad to have split the meal between two families, it made the prep so much easier! 
The crazy kid table below was lots of fun!  We used our Christmas plates that I purchased last year on clearance after Christmas.  I still LOVE them!  The kids had fun picking which one to eat off of.  (Santa, Snowman, Reindeer, or Tree) 

This is our advent wreath…a very German tradition.  They LOVE to countdown to the big day in lots of different ways!  The four candles countdown the four Sundays before the big day.  So you light one each Sunday and then add another the next week until all four are lit before Christmas day.  I decided to light it one last time for our big Christmas dinner. 

After dinner was cleaned up, we started in on the family traditions.  The Johnsons, always decorate sugar cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.  Great idea….we were really happy to join in and sample some ourselves! 

Our tradition is to act out the Nativity story while our Dad reads it.  Josh and Megan were happy to be Mary and Joseph this year.  Carter, Ryan and Luke were Wisemen, Hanna was a sheep, Emily the Angel, Jake and Katie were shepherds, and Cole was some other farm animal.  We always have to have another family to help us with this tradition!  Ta-Da!  Another great show.

After the Nativity, we played Christmas Carols on the bell Chimes which the kids were really good at!  We took some family pictures and the Johnsons hit the road so they could get snuggled in their beds for Santa to come.  We continued on with our tradition which includes opening one gift which usually is new jammies!  This year each kid got a little something with it.  Carter, Jake and Josh got Halo lego guys, Cole got “Blue Mater”, and Hanna got a girl playmobil character.  
   
I have a crazy obsession with Christmas jammies!  I started shopping in early November and found these for the little boys.  (Soo dang cute from Gymboree!)  Then I looked all over and finally found the shirts for the big boys ant Kohls and the bottoms at Target.  Hanna’s shirt was from Target too, and her pants were from Walmart.  I know it seems like a lot of work, but I love it…and I like to make them match and figure something out for Hanna with in the theme, but that is still girly.   

I love all the excitement in the air!  After reading The Night Before Christmas, we said prayers and hopped into bed.  We also left some cookies and milk out for Santa.