Christmas Eve

I love how Christmas Eve is just as exciting as Christmas day. In the morning, the girls could hardly wait to  exchange gifts they had bought for each other at the dollar store. They couldn't believe that they had chosen the exact same gift to get for each other! How exciting! Their day was complete after receiving a dollar store fake iphone complete with a water/bubble/fishing game. Gwen carried it around all day and proudly told everyone about her "fishing app" that she had on her phone. 

My parent's host a Christmas Eve party and it seems to get bigger each year! The girls look forward to going all day. Paul went to work in the morning and the girls and I set out to find festive decorations! We had success at a fancy mall that was surprisingly quiet. We admired the over sized poinsettia Christmas tree and the girls rode the train. Kate barely made the height cutoff to ride the train and couldn't believe that she might be too tall to ride next year!

Party time arrived and did not disappoint. The girls were greeted with personalized Santa Hats and loads of cousins. The girls sang Christmas carols and told knock knock jokes for their part in the talent show. There was a nativity production and after much negotiating Kate got her sought after angel role. Gwen was a happy shepherd. Clara's sour mood that night lost her the role of baby Jesus to a doll. 

Clara may have gotten a little too much love from all the cousins.

After that party we went home to put the finishing touches on our own family Christmas party. The girls cleaned up the house for Santa and wrote him letters. Cookies and milk were left for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. A fancy table was set for our Christmas feast with Grammy Tanner's silver, my favorite vintage Christmas tablecloth bought in Connecticut and our wedding china. We read "The Night Before Christmas" and tucked the girls in bed.  Then the elves got to work in the kitchen with strata making and overnight french toast preparations.  Last minute wrapping was complete and Paul and I went to bed with happy hearts, before midnight!