no place like home

I love being home for Christmas, love spending time with the fam and everything. One of my favorite family traditions is our Christmas Eve program that, ever since we were little, my siblings and I have put together for my parents and grandparents to enjoy. Past programs have included piano, flute and violin performances, all sorts of singing, reading favorite Christmas books and of course my dad reading the story of the first Christmas from the Bible. There were even a few years that I choreographed dance routines to Mannheim Steamroller that I'd start practicing in October (those were the years my older siblings were too cool to participate in the program and I felt pressure to really deliver a show. On the flip side, there was another year much earlier that I was too shy to participate in the open so I accompanied my brother in little drummer boy by banging an upside-down pot from under the piano. I could go on with these stories, but I'll stop there).

Well now that we're all older and as our family grows bigger each year, it's been really fun to see the grandkids embrace this tradition and make it their own. Here's a peek at this year's program.

sisters, sisters...

And as per tradition, at the end of each program we hang our special stockings...

and open our Christmas PJs...

that match of course (at least for the kids).

Ok one more quick story: when I was two, I received my first nightgown on Christmas eve with my name embroidered across the front. Up until that point I had only worn the footie PJs like my brother so as soon as I put it on I ran around the room shouting "I'm a girl, I'm a girl!", or so the legend goes. Alright, enough childhood stories.

Hope you all had an equally delightful holiday!