Christmas Eve Eve
Our annual Barman Christmas was held on December 23rd this year...or as the kids liked to call it, "Christmas Eve Eve". We enjoyed Chick-fil-A catering and lots (LOTS) of treats! Becki's mom put together another wonderful pageant with the kids acting out the story of Jesus birth, from the viewpoint of the shepherds. We even had sheep this year!
The Shepherds and Angels (Luke 2:8-10)
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
Luke 2:13 & 14
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Luke 2:15-20
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
After the pageant and talent show, we introduced the kids to some games. The first game was the Saran Wrap Ball game. You unravel the ball until the person ahead of you rolls a double. Then your turn is over and it moves to the next person. There was lots of candy and a special surprise at the end of the roll! It got intense a few times!
We finished our night with presents. The kids took turns opening their presents - because they all had the same things in their stockings, Will chose to turn his back so he couldn't see what he would be getting. While turned around, he admired all of Grammy's ornaments...
While Matt got some ear bling...Grammy & Grandad each got a Fitbit to help track their steps and activity (like they really need that...I don't think they ever slow down!)
We finished our night with a few rounds of Heads Up. A fun, interactive game - similar to Charades or Catch Phrase. The kids did great (adults still kicked their butts though!). It was fun to play something as a whole family!
Christmas Eve
It has become a family tradition to attend the Christmas Eve service at church and then eat a later lunch/early dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Judging by the calendar, I'd say it's a good tradition!
The kids started a new tradition this year - they became "Secret Santas" to each other. They each drew a name from a hat and did some shopping over the next few weeks. With a $5-$10 limit, they each knew what they wanted to get! No one knew who got who until Christmas Eve. After Texas Roadhouse, we watched the Nativity Story and then they opened their presents from each other.
Kaitee received a Harry Potter Pop Funko doll from Will.
Will received more baseball cards from Kaitee.
Alex received some make up brushes from Maddie.
And Maddie received a bulletin board from Alex.
A very successful gift exchange! We look forward to amping it up a bit next year and continuing this tradition!
After the kids were in bed, Matt & I enjoyed the quiet stillness of the night.
Christmas Morning!!
I love that the kids sleep in on Christmas! It gives me a few extra minutes to sleep in, yet still start breakfast before they wake up. I got the egg casserole in the oven and then started making the monkey bread. We then enjoyed opening some presents!
This year, all the kids received a "Cubs" item...
Will opened two boxes of baseball cards.
Maddie & Alex each received headbands.
And Kaitee received a Bryzzo t-shirt.
While most of the items weren't surprises for the kids...I still tried to find a few things for each of them that they weren't expecting. I love seeing their faces when they are truly surprised...and like the gift!
Maddie is my "headband girl" and LOVES the TV show Survivor. A buff from the show is a perfect gift for her! And yes, she was shocked! She also received two Lego sets and a new volleyball.
Will received one present - the one thing he REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanted...Destiny's Bounty Lego Set!
Alex asked for a new music player and some clothes. She also received a scarf and an Eeyore Pop Funko.
Kaitee - she asked for Pop Funko Dolls and things that were out of print! Well, considering I had a tight budget, I scraped the out of print things and went for the Pop Funko dolls. I surprised her with this t-shirt and pencil case (little characters from Hamilton). It's amazing what you can find on Etsy!
Matt gave me this box, haha! Luckily, the inside items were wonderful! ; ) A Cubs fluffly blanket and a Cubs license plate frame.
Some of our gifts from the kids - our last year of shopping at the Awana store.
Matt was in need of a new bag for letterboxing - we'll give this one a try!
We finished our Christmas morning with yummy monkey bread and egg casserole! Merry Christmas everyone!
