12 Photos and a Video

It was absolutely delightful to have my sister Julie, her husband Tom, and their family in town for Christmas (including three children, their spouses,  and two grandbabies:  Ben/Jax/Avery, Julia/Chris/Claire, and Russell/Megan).   We also celebrated with Emma's Grandma & Grandpa Hiatt, Aunt Barbie & Uncle Dennis, cousin Amy and her three adorables, cousins Tony and Cindy and their six adorables, and Louie/Shanna, Janie, and Andy/Kat/Baby Mac.  Not everybody was in the same place at the same time, but a couple times we got pretty close.

It was a fun fest, lemme tell you.  Amy's husband Dave caught sick and was unable to join in.  We were sorry we didn't get to see him, too!  We probably won't be celebrating with this big a group again any time soon -- families are growing and many are so far away.  But we have wonderful memories of 

Christmas 2012.    

Homey dinner on December 23rd.  Joey made pork enchiladas (handrolled by Russell and Emma) and homemade refritos.  We also enjoyed Christmas tamales, Aunt Barbie salad, and chips'n'guac.  And assorted storebought brownies.  

This photo won't enlarge for some reason, but the others do.

Denny and Aunt Julie on Christmas Eve Day.  Julie is making her traditional "tree" (cinnamon roll dough shaped into Christmas tree, then frosted after baking on Christmas morning and decorated with walnuts, maraschino cherries and red & green sprinkles.  It's sticky and scrumptious).  Or she could also be making her famous cheeseball, made with cream cheese, sharp cheddar and blue cheese, etc., 

all in one glorious glob.  Cheeeez, it's good.

 Christmas Eve dessert following delicious Christmas Eve dinner that Aunt Barbie packed up and brought over to our house.  Yay Barbie!  Ham, funeral potatoes, various salads, washed down by Christmas ginger ale.  Followed by Costco cake and marionberry pie ice cream elegantly served in paper bowls.

 Tom, Russell and Ben

A portion of the nativity reenactment (directed, with great insight and nuance, by Aunt Barbie) 

 Lauren (donkey), Macy (Mary), and Eli (Joseph).

Our ambivalent angel

Cindy, Eli, Tired Tony, and Calvin J

Grandniece Avery

Grandpa reading "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," with feeling, and a mustache, 

to conclude Christmas Eve festivities

And then there was Christmas Morn, a flurry of tissue paper and exclamations.  

Below is an Angry Bird with an attitude.  A dangerous combination.

Baby Mac pondered a red Solo cup

And numbers of the red sweater group increased

Megan, Denny, Grandma, Julia, Julie, Barbie, Jax

And later in the day Uncle Tom patiently supervised Emma's efforts with her new Easy Bake (which replaced the old Easy Bake of a couple years ago, which Mama broke after leaving the plastic spatula inserted into the baking cavity and making the whole thing seize up into one gelatinous mess). 

And to conclude, Violins in the Round on Christmas Eve.  Aunt Barbie accompanying.  Lauren, Jane Marie, Reagan (invisible but not inaudible), Denny and Emma on strings.