{Our} Home for the Holidays: An Artsy Family Christmas Eve

Can you believe it's almost Christmas?!

I seriously feel like the month of December flew by this year!  Now it's time for some of my very favorite holiday traditions, and of course PRESENTS too!  {Not gonna lie, I love me a good present!}

I figured that since we've spent the past two months reading about all kinds of fun family traditions from some of my favorite bloggy friends, I'd take today to invite you into our own home and share with you how we celebrate Christmas Eve.

First, both sides of the family get together for lunch at our house.  This photo is from last year, and includes hubby's parents, grandmother, grandfather, brother, and his brother's girlfriend, as well as my mom and dad.

I love that we have several occasions each year when all four of Noah's grandparents plus some of his great-grandparents are all together; his birthday party, Christmas Eve, Passover, and Thanksgiving.  Those are memories I know he'll cherish, and we sure enjoy getting everyone together.

We have sandwiches, potato salad, veggies, chips and salsa, and of course dessert!  Lots and lots of dessert!!  Then, my folks head home and we exchange gifts with hubby's family.  {In years past, we've done gifts first, then lunch, but there's a 1:00 Ravens game this year...enough said.}

My mother-in-law and I have a longstanding tradition of exchanging the absolute ugliest holiday pins we can find and buy for each other...I have a real doosy for her this year!

After Little Crafter's nap, we have a special family dinner just for the three of us. My friend Sabine gave us these special holiday plates we like to use for the occasion.  {Gosh, I forgot LC was still in a high chair last year!  Wow, time flies!}

After dinner, we get dressed up {except, apparently, for LC's sneakers...} and head to candlelight church service.  I've always loved singing Silent Night by candlelight...

This year, LC is going to be sporting the special snowman tie Nicole from Three's{4}Me made for him!

Pictures forthcoming!

...and one of my favorite traditions, we each get to open one gift after we get home from church.  We always give Little Crafter a new pair of pj's to wear.  This year he gets footies with rocketships all over them.  Blue, of course.  We also got him a nativity sticker book we're going to let him do before bed.

Last year, hubby and I stayed up to put together LC's big gift, a kitchen, and boy was it a pain!

Fortunately, this year, a Leapster Explorer and a Boldin jersey don't require any assembly!!

Which means we get to watch the Nativity movie.  Yay!

In the morning, we'll do our gifts, just the 3 of us, and have cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

Then, my mom and dad will come to exchange gifts around noon, my grandma will come around 4:30, and my in-laws will come back, hopefully with one or both of hubby's brothers, and we'll all have dinner together.  That's a typical Christmas with the Artsy Family.

However you and your loved ones celebrate, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men."