This year on Christmas eve I decided to make the family overnight peach french toast for breakfast. It was a huge success and everyone loved it. I always hope that we'll spend the day together playing games and such but usually everyone is super busy doing last minute things for Christmas. This year was no exception. I spent the early hours of the morning running errands with my mom before things got to busy in town. After we served breakfast the men went off to play basketball at the YMCA and I my mom and I spent the afternoon in the kitchen getting some things prepared for Christmas. My sisters spend their time in the basement playing elf and getting things wrapped for people. While mom and I were cooking my good friend from High School Michelle came over to chat. It's always so fun to catch up with old friends in person. For dinner I was going to make a nice soup, but after being in the kitchen all day we decided on pizza and ceaser salad. I got the biggest laugh when we went to pick up the pizza and it was Santa Clause who was making it for us. After dinner we all loaded up in the cars and set off for our Christmas Eve ritual, caroling. This year we went to a nursing home where my dad had a patient who he thought could use some holiday cheer. We sang silent night and carol of the bells. Though she couldn't really talk, and he body was frail and weak we could see the tears in her eyes. It was humbling to be in a place were so many were alone and sick, and I was there with my healthy family. What a blessing it is to be together, I hope we never take that for granted. Then we headed over to the hospital where my dad works. We sang through the halls and in the ER. They were waiting for us this year and we were happy that we could brighten up their night away from their own families.After the hospital we went to my grandpa's old war buddies house, Jack and Hope Marstrell. We went there last year and it was so special that we all wanted to go back again. After we sang they invited us in. We listened as my grandpa and Jack took a stroll down memory lane together. They may be pushing 90 but the way their faces lit up as they remembered their youth you could see their youthful spirits. We sat there listening to them talk for about half an hour and I loved every second of it. Those types of memories are the ones that will be cherished when the others of more trivial things start to fade.
On our way home we stopped at the home of the girl's piano teacher. She was not home, but we were told she would be back at 9, so we waited. In the end he whole family ended up coming home with her from church and we looked like creepy stalkers waiting for her on the street. We all got a good laugh about how creepy we were and Mike even opted to hide in the car rather than go up with the rest of us. But it was still fun.
When we got home we opened PJ's and visited until one by one people started going to bed. I finished up a few things then headed to bed myself. I am still surprised that as a 25 year old I still have a restless sleep on Christmas Eve. I am always just so excited to see if people like what I got them and to spend the day with my family enjoying our time together, making memories.
