Grand Christmas VII

We were so grateful this year that with everyone's busy lives and holiday schedules our family was able to find a few days to come together for Grand Christmas VII. Tara came from Miami, and Chris, Colleen, & Max came from Ohio, on the 20th and we took advantage of every moment of the next few days to create a family celebration!

It was a stroke of great luck that the final performance of The Woodlands Civic Ballet's presentation of The Nutcracker was our first event. Isabelle has been dreaming of performing in The Nutcracker since she first put on ballet shoes a few years back, and she was so thrilled to have the entire Christensen gang there to share in this dream-come-true with her and Olivia. Belle danced the part of a Bon-Bon, and Livi was so proud of her performance as a Mouse. Then we were all off to "Culver's" for dinner and ice cream.

Sunday afternoon we feasted on our traditional Tex-Mex dinner, complete with fresh, handmade tamales, yummy fajitas, and guacamole made with a huge avocado Tara had brought from one of her co-worker's tree in Miami. Before enjoying a variety of desserts, including peppermint & eggnog ice cream, we carried on a family tradition (that has been handed down for at least the last four generations) playing Christmas Bingo, with everyone winning a special prize. We opened gifts with Chris, Colleen, & Max, since they would be leaving before Christmas Eve; then we all jumped in the back of "Chugger" and G'pa drove us around Cole Crossing to look at some of the beautiful Christmas lights.

After Monday morning's exercise we all met at IHOP for one of Lee's favorite traditions -- breakfast.

Lee had already been busy that morning hiding clues for the upcoming treasure hunt near the park and trail in Coles Crossing. The treasure hunt took us zigzagging around the area, but resulted in a real buried treasure in the woods along the trail. Max & Isabelle exclaimed, "we're rich!!"

There were long faces, and lots of tears, when it was then time for Chris, Colleen, & Max to return to Ohio.

The Christmas Eve festivities were hosted by the Vernons, with yet another yummy menu including what else - holidays nachos!!! One of the gifts I had made for the grandchildren this year was Santa bags, which I wanted them to have to leave for Santa to fill, so we filled them with our gifts and let them open them Christmas Eve.

Our little ones enacted a puppet show while we read the Christmas story from St. Luke before the evening was complete.

Christmas morning Lee, Tara, and I had fun discovering the joys Santa had filled our stockings with, then made a quick trip to Vernons and Cosbys to see what Santa had left for Leo, Belle, and Livi. Then we hurried back home to get the ham in the oven, and the hot rolls ready to rise. A delicious Christmas dinner, more gifts, and dessert, and we were all ready to sit around the table and work on a new Candy Wrapper puzzle.

The next morning the Cosbys left for a Cosby family wedding in California, but the fun continued with Tara and the Vernons. We went to movies, did some re-shopping, and played with Leo on his new train table. On the 29th we celebrated Lee's 67th birthday with his choice of "chicken and rice" (a family favorite menu item that I have been making for 30+ years), and of course, an ice cream cake.

Tara had to get back to work to prepare for a big event in Hawaii the first week of January, so she left on the 30th, and the last trip to the airport was on New Year's Eve to pick up the returning Cosby family. We toasted to the new year on New Year's Day with a family brunch, then reviewed our 2013 resolutions and made news ones for 2014.

There were a few bumps along the way ... lost luggage; an overflowed toilet and resulting water damage; colds, flu, ear infections, and bronchitis; and Tara returning home to find her apartment flooded; but, there is nothing in this entire world of more value to me than our family, loving and caring for one another, and I am so grateful for precious time spent together. Grand Christmas VII was truly grand!!!!