Christmas Morning 2013

This year was quite different!  I don't think it has ever been just the 3 of us (Alan, Lois, and Aileen) but it was.....not sure I liked it!!  But next year will be my year again to have everyone so I will look forward to that!  And I am so grateful that we have Aileen to keep us loving and enjoying the holidays!  Thanks Aileen!!

 

Barbara's family tradition is to get together on Christmas day for opening presents and Christmas lunch....so I went over to Aunt Beverly's and brought gifts for my niece and nephew, Emmy and Landin.

It was a really festive and fun day!  And it ended with going to see a movie "Grudge Match" which was a fun movie.....I wonder how many different ways Sylvester Stallone can make a boxing movie.....a whole lot evidently!!  But it was an entertaining movie to see.

I then proceeded in the next day or so to get sick.....not fun!  Then Aileen got very sick, really not fun!!  Hopefully we are all on the mend now! But the cough takes a long time to go away!!  Super not fun!!

Christmas Eve 2013

Christmas eve is the big night of celebration for the Clay family and this year it was at my house!!  It was fun to get out the Christmas dishes and get the house ready for company as it has been a few years since I have had to do that.  Usually, because Elizabeth has the bigger home, we have been having it at her house for the past 4 or 5 years....so like I said, kind of nice to have it at my home again!

We get together for dinner then we have a family home evening of the story of the Savior's birth.  This year was fun because George and Art made it possible for us to skype with Edwards family and Ruth's family so it was like they were here.  We missed being able to do this with Kim's family but Kim was in California visiting Andy for his graduation spoken of in an earlier post.  And Logan jointed via phone so it was a great evening!  We sang Christmas carols throughout the scripture reading and Elizabeth carries on the tradition of playing for Mom!  Then we take turns picking presents for each other under the tree and these are family gifts only.....Santa's gifts come in the morning!!  This is usually when we give our kids their traditional Christmas pj's.  This year the only child we had with us was Aileen!  Thank heavens we have her or I might have really been a sad woman!  Anne Marie was in Utah and at Grandma Browns and Allison, John, and Charlotte were with the Rex's in Costa Rica!

Then George and Elizabeth hung around after everyone else left for the tradition of playing cards into the weeee hrs of the night!  We had a great time and Elizabeth and I beat the boys (Alan and George) both games!!  Go Girls!!

My table setting.....

 

 Everyone who came:

 

Skyping with those families far away.......

 

 Opening presents.......

 

Dad always tries to do something thoughtful that he has done himself for Barbara.  This year he wrote a poem about her being his angel and finding her angel wings.........

Alan is opening Aileen's gift....she always gets excited!!

Playing Canasta....and yes, George, you can get a canasta in wild cards!!!  But the girls still won!!