Our Merriest Christmas Eve Ever!!

 Every year I think, "This is the very BEST Christmas Eve EVER!!"

I've planned and prepared just about everything ahead of time and it all went off without a hitch, making it as enjoyable for me as it was for everyone else.

I was up early putting the last touches to things while Louis Dean finished cleaning up outside.

Before we knew it - it was time to go to church!

My son, Jesse, and his family arrived at just about the same time we did.

Photo ops abound at Fellowship Church!

This is - from left to right-

Jesse, Faith, Sam, me, Louis Dean, Leigh Ann, Levi and Jaelynn.

Pam took the group pic for us and here we are together.

We were all early because the Bell girls were singing in the children's choir and none of us wanted to miss that!!

We all sat together - taking up the entire 8th row from the front on the right hand side!

Pam was on the end and took pics for me.

Can you see the three Bells??

I took this shot from the overhead screens.

It was an amazing service!

I wish I had taken pictures of the candlelight part......so beautiful as we all let our lights shine in the darkness.

We attended the 3:00 service and there was cookies and refreshments before and between the 3:00 and the 5:00 services so we lingered a little bit since the Bells had to stay since the girls were singing in both services. Except for Harrison! He is absolutely crazy about his cousins and he only gets to see them a few times during the year.....so he rode back to our house with them and Amber and Mike and the girls came afterwards.

I had an appetizer table all set up as I knew everyone would be hungry!

I loved hearing the hum of conversation......

here is Mike showing the video of his recent hockey game (he's on a hockey team as well as the kids!) where he made the winning score in a shoot out. I think that's what you call it!

So some gathered in the living room......

and since it was so warm, others went out to the deck and the gazebo.

Snippets of Christmas Eve......

Summer gave Louis Dean his Christmas gifts out there where she had his undivided attention.

A builder's pencil attached to a cord that pulls out and then goes right back - so he won't be losing his pencil every time he turns around!

She knows him well!!!

People were gathered in groups all over the place and every one mingled here and there.

Sam and his girlfriend, Jaelynn.

Harrison was so funny!

He said, "I'm actually surprised y'all are still together!"

It seems relationships don't last long in the 4th grade and he thought that was the way it worked with college kids, too!

I love having our gazebo as an extra 'room' and with our mild Texas winter so far - we are using it quite often! 

The kitchen is always a favorite place to hang out!

I love all these pictures!

My handsome son, Benjamin!

Only Trystan changed clothes after their performance.

Opps, Louis Dean did, too!

The kids all love being together!

Sabrina always brings something - no matter what!

This was popular - especially with Ben who scored in taking home the leftover dilly bits!

Next year, I will have a big pot of Queso!

Levi thought he smelled it but it was probably the pepper poppers - which were a big hit.

I promise you some Queso next year, Levi!

And I will have some for Good Friday, too, since that's the next time we are all usually together.

The veggies all done!

Preparing ahead was worth it all!!

Next year I will bake TWO hams!!

Everyone ate where they pleased as there are so many of us now. 

20 for dinner and everyone had a place setting.

We put up the perishables and prepared for the next round - Presents!!

I didn't do a big tree this year but next year I am getting a new one to put in the den to replace this small one.

I put my gifts into Christmas stockings.

I had as much fun filling them as they did opening them.

What a beautiful mess this is!!!

I'm spinning a Honey Bee Lazy Susan!

One of the things in all the younger grands stockings was a diary.

Logan immediately started writing in hers.

I told them it can be a journal or a place to record things or do sketches.

Each one has a lock and they seemed to really like that.

 For  Logan, I ordered one and the lock didn't work so they replaced it - and again the lock did not work. So I took a refund and ordered from a different place!

Pays to shop early so you have time to test things.

My two beautiful daughters.

Leigh Ann gave Louis Dean a laminated copy of the history of Pretty Paper.

She wrote such a sweet note to him.....

.....she knows how much he loves music and especially Willie Nelson!

Next up???

NUTS!!!!

One of the best gifts I gave all the grands was personalized playing cards.

To play NUTS, everyone has to have their own deck of cards which I had printed with their picture on them.

It was a wild time of cards flying and people yelling NUTS!!!

Alas, I used to be the Champion!

I did not win a single round this time and that's a FIRST for me!

Our final activity of Christmas Eve is rolling the sugarplums.

Next year I will make TWO bathsch of the candy dough!

this was the very first time I have had all my children and all my grandchildren with me at the same time.

I give you the Funny Faces first!

It was, indeed, a very Merry Christmas Eve!

Jimmy, a dear family friend took this photo for us.

20 people in all and each one so very special to me.

It was nearly midnight when everyone left....

The entire day went by at record speed.

And just like that - Christmas Eve is over!

But it was the best one ever!!