Christmas 2018 - Part 2

We are missing Bre in the Christmas jammies cousin picture this year!

We had no snow save for about two hours of it on Christmas Eve while Aubree and I were doing some last minute shopping at the outlets. Of course, it didn't amount to anything but for those few hours, we could at least pretend otherwise.

If you look hard enough you can see the snow flurries.

On the plus side, there are more things to do outside when it isn't snowy and cold.

In fact, you can be having so much fun doing them that you forget to use the bathroom.  Take a look at the front of Colby's pants!

Christmas Eve football!

Gigi saved the best crafts for Christmas Eve

My dad and I paid an impromptu visit to our good friend Rosette who lives in town.  The woman on my left is her daughter Cathy who was the flower girl in my wedding.

Getting ready to go out caroling.

I put together some kids games.  Could the girls or the boys get more marshmallows on the stocking? 

Who could get the most "snow" scooped into the bowls?

Who can get the most "snowman parts" into the bowls?

The adult games. It is always SO fun to watch my mom do the games.  I incorporated this one just for her.

You put some M&M's on some pencils and then try to pull it up to your mouth to eat them. 

"Concentration"

The winning card from the Christmas card contest.  But then afterwards we discovered it was from a previous year.  The contest is such a mess!

A fun time was had by all Christmas Eve. We had our usual crew of Aunt Lori, Uncle Charlie, Kelly, Steve, Caleb, and Kaitlyn.  The beauty of it was that nobody was sick! Well, except for Rad who was going to join us (with Jen pregnant they didn't go to Michigan this year) but was sick.  Major disappointment there.  Anyway, my mom made delicious chicken enchiladas for our evening meal, we went caroling, played games (winning team was my mom, Calleigh, Aunt Lori, and Steve), did our Christmas card contest, and then called it a night.  I only had a few presents to wrap! And in fact, Kelly and I placed all of the gifts under the tree that night instead of doing it in the morning. We were definitely ahead of the game this year.

The stockings all covered up.  It was a down year in that only my dad, Duncan, and I exchanged stockings amongst the Brace adult clan.  Not good, not good at all. 

The kids and their stockings.

My dad and his.  Duncan had him, I had Duncan, and my dad had me.

Calleigh's big gift...a Pastrnak jersey.

I got a new Brady jersey since mine was about 17 years old and wearing thin.

Brady and his new Patriots hat. Yes, sports is a big theme for the Grodacks.

I had gotten this for Acadia and Winnie at a yard sale down here.  It was full of clothes and shoes for their dolls.  I got such a great deal! Ron and Elaine brought it up with them. 

Christmas brunch.

And of course, Christmas football.

He was so excited about his hat, he wore it to bed that night.

All good things must come to an end.  The next day, Wednesday the 26th, we packed up and headed home.  We worry we won't fit everything into 12 checked bags but it always seems to work out.

We tend to hold up the line with all of our stuff. 

Reunited with these two the next morning.

It was a wonderful, wonderful Christmas 1.0.  Can't wait until the next one!!