Family Christmas 2024

Once again, we were blessed to celebrate Christmas together, even if we had to do it on two separate dates. A week before Christmas, I came down with Covid, so we had to postpone Christmas to the day after this year. This worked out for most of the family, except for John, Georgie, Nora and Hannah who were hosting her family this year for Christmas. John, Nora, and Hannah made the trip from their home to celebrate the Sunday after Christmas.

So on Friday, December 26th, the house was alive with the excitement of Christmas when Tom, Marissa, Ari, Cami, Marianne, James and Michael, and Katie, Dan, Ellie and Tommy, Stephen and Elisabeth joined Michael and me for our traditional get together. Tom and Marissa treated me to lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant in La Plata, La Tolteca. He ordered takeout for Michael, Stephen and Elisabeth who were home at that time. Later in the afternoon Marianne, James, Michael and Katie, Dan, Ellie and Tommy joined us. It is always great to have the cousins interact with one another. They had an indoor snowball fight with Uncle Steve and one another. They decorated some Christmas cookies and painted some Christmas ornaments.

Katie had a great idea for a Christmas decoration for me. She painted a frame, then stenciled it with The Real Christmas Memories are Made Together and had the grandchildren each paint a hand in light or dark green colors and place them on the frame in a shape of a tree signing their names under their hand. This masterpiece will now be a new traditional Christmas decoration at my home. I love it!

For dinner we had butter chicken with rice and Naan bread, pot roast with potatoes and carrots and broccoli and rolls. After dinner the grandchildren all assembled in the living room near the tree to open their presents. The smiles on their faces as they opened their presents were the highlight of the night. Their happiness was contagious and as an old adage says, ” Christmas is for children.” Well, I think Christmas is also for parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles, too. The cousins enjoyed Christmas cookies and ice cream for dessert.

On Sunday, John and Nora and Hannah came to visit. Tom, Marissa and Ari also came as well as Marianne and Michael. That afternoon we had Ledo’s pizza for lunch while John, Tom and Michael watched the Eagles game. The girls played a game with Michael and did some coloring and play doh. For dinner we had turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, carrots and broccoli. After dinner Nora and Hannah opened their presents. Once again there was excitement in the house. All in all it was a very happy holiday and I thank God for the blessing of family. Happy New Year!