Christmas...finally

 Christmas was great...as always!  We enjoyed my sister Megan and her family as well as Pat's brother Bobby and his family coming into town.  Sometimes splitting up our time to make sure it's equal and to make sure we don't miss anything fun can be quite a headache, but in the end, we always have a good time with everybody.


This year, we started our festivities with our annual Turtleneck Eggnog Party.  What a blast - we enjoyed good food (thanks to everyone who brought something to share!).  We also played the "Unwrap the present game" and a Christmas Family Feud game - guys vs. girls.  As soon as the guys figured out how Family Feud works, they ended up winning even with me cheating for the girls!


Once Bobby and Sara came into town, the Rich family went out to see White Christmas at Pioneer Theater.  It was a cute show - fun dancing and a really good set.  I was nervouse because the first act was INCREDIBLY long but luckily, the second act had shorter songs!  


The next night was our Christmas Adam celebration with the Rich family.  I've explained it before, but just so there's no confusion, we have Christmas Adam dinner because Adam came before Eve and we don't get together on Christmas Eve.  Joanne prepared a delicious dinner and it was fun to get together.  At Christmas Adam, we all give our gifts to Jim and Joanne and we also exchange sibling gifts.  We also did a nativity - the cutest part was all the babies in their angel wings. 


 

Christmas Eve came next, we spent it with the Osmond family....at my cousin's house.  It's one of my favorite meals of the ENTIRE year - Norwegian meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade rolls - YUM!  This meal is second only to Christmas morning breakfast - though it's really a close call.  

After dinner we had yet another nativity but in this one we actually used a real baby for baby Jesus, instead of a doll.  It had to be the liveliest Nativity I've ever seen because "Mary," my niece Emily, put "baby Jesus," my cousin's baby Claire, on the hay upside down!  She immediately started crying yet we just kept her there as we proceeded with the Nativity.  Everyone was more concerned with filming it or getting pictures because it was really funny.  (don't worry, we did put "baby Jesus" right-side up!)  

Dessert is our traditional pudding with and almond hidden in it.  This year, Emily and Josh worked really hard - eating more and more pudding even though they were full and finally found the almonds!  Well, We're pretty sure Josh got an almond, he accidentally ate it before he announced that he found it!


Christmas day involved lot's of traveling, as always.  Luckily, our parents live so close together.  I admit that sometimes I wish we only had to do one house on Christmas day but that just doesn't work out.  We got up and opened our own presents then headed over to the Riches for breakfast.  After breakfast and opening more presents we went over to my parents house.  It was a small bummer because my sister and her family were down with her in-laws so we missed them but I guess that's how it goes.  We spent the evening with my parents and with Mormor and played some games.