Christmas Eve 2015

Christmas Eve dinner with my siblings and their spouses and my parents.  Heaven on earth.

A better angle with Abe and Dev in it.

Most of the cousins were at the kids table.

Bethany planned a wonderful pageant this year complete with speaking parts and beautiful costumes.  Here is The Holy Family played by Kaylee, Cannon, and baby Chloe.

The angels were Takara, Aliyah, and Emi, while Eli and Brigham were shepherds.

Our wisemen were wonderful and they added a little comic relief as well.

The cast picture.  Elinor was the cutest donkey for Mary.  George chose not to participate because he wanted to watch the pageant this year.

Then it was time to open matching jammies from Grandma and Grandpa!  They were met with great approval.

The girls were so happy.  I don't have a picture of the littler girls in their jammies, but they did have a fox on them, so of course I loved them.

The bigger kids got cold hard cash, which I assure you, was at least as appreciated as pajamas would have been.

To our bizarre amusement, Abe reads us the Cajun Night Before Christmas every year.  I don't think the book is that great, but Abe reads it with so much vigor and such a terrible accent, that we love it.  He also reads a very sweet book every year, A Christmas Bell for Anya.  It's a tear-jerker, but it's special to us and it's tradition now.

Then... talk about tradition... Grandpa Cannon read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas from the same edition he read to my siblings and I when we were younger in our matching pajamas.  Same corny jokes at the same places.  We just love it and the grandkids do to.  Heaven on earth.

And when it seemed it couldn't get any better, THERE WAS SINGING of Christmas carols!  I was happy to play and listen to the lovely voices singing parts surrounding me. 

I don't need anything else for Christmas.

Matt and Misty left to go spend the night and Christmas morning at Brig and Dev's house.  We began the task of getting lots of little kids to go to bed on Christmas Eve.  The girls are bunked in Bethany and Elinor's room, but not before they stayed up playing LIFE for a while.
The little boys were all asleep on the floor of Peter's room.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!