Christmas Eve Party

When Chris and I realized that we would be having our very first Christmas at home, we realized that we had to make some 'final' decisions regarding our traditions. We are both used to celebrating Christmas Eve with family, going over to a Grandmother's house and the like, but this year we didn't have any family near. My friend Alysa called a couple of weeks before Christmas and had invited us to her home to celebrate Christmas Eve with her family and some mutual friends, so we thought we'd take her up on it. Just a few days before the night however, her husband was in the hospital with pneumonia so the party location shifted to our home, Hurray!
So, we were lucky to have Alysa's family, the Bruners, the Dorias, the Broadheads, and our friend Lisa King over to feast. Nancy Doria brought over these beautiful "English crackers" which dress the table at each place setting. The kids got to open them and find their prizes, and they pop when you open them! We had a ton of food, with appetizers, ham AND turkey at dinner with all of the sides and...in fact nobody had any room left for dessert.
We played Christmas songs with the chimes, laughed, talked, and just made merry. I love these kind of events because we get to know our friends even better and learn about others and their traditions. So thank you all, who came to our home, for the great celebration! We hope you didn't receive the stomach flu from us, specifically, Maverick, who threw up throughout the rest of the night, even though Santa was on his way.