Christmas Visits and Visitors

One of my favorite parts about Christmas (okay, there are SO MANY to choose from!) is going to visit friends and having friends come visit!  Last year our visiting was kept to a minimum as traveling with a 7 week old was rather challenging...but this year it was a blast taking our Little Bit along for the ride. She was such a trooper!

On December 23 (or Christmas Eve Eve as we like to call it) my girl cousins came over to decorate ginger bread houses.  We used to do this when the girls were younger when I baby sat them after school.  But now that they're grown up we expanded the fun to all the cousins!

The rules: must come in your jammies, no make-up, bring all your gross Halloween candy, HAVE FUN!

That afternoon we made it over to our friends Kevin and Anne's house for a Christmas open house.  Many of our playgroup and bible study friends were there with their families.  It was so fun for all the kids to play together and to see everyone dressed up instead of our usual Tuesday morning juice-stained sweats.

That night we went to my grandparents house for our traditional Big Christmas Dinner!  Everyone in my Mom's family gets dressed up in our holiday finest for a catered dinner on the Christmas china!  Eric and I got demoted from senior seating at the adult kids table back to the actual kids table with Evie and my little cousins.  Hey, someone has to be able to use a knife at that table.

Per tradition, all my aunts and uncles exchange their gifts, and give and receive gifts to my grandparents.  Once they're done, we all get to open a Christmas stocking from my grandparents.  We usually get little note pads and necklaces but this year I got a UD ornament!  And we always, always, always get an apple and an orange!

Then there was Christmas Eve, Christmas Morning and Day, and the day after Christmas which you've probably already read about....

But Christmas NIGHT  we drove out to Grayson, Georgia to have dinner with Eric's parents and their friends.  They celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with this family every year.  They even had a little gift waiting for Evie!  Her very own tea party set!

Dinner ran super late (why does the roast always take an extra two hours when you're on a dead line?) and we didn't get home until almost midnight.  Evie stayed up until about 10:45 when we got in the car.  What a trooper! She slept in until almost 10 the next morning.

The day after Christmas Joey and Crystal came for a visit. It's their last trip to Atlanta before their baby comes in March!  They were our first over night guests in the house. The last time they saw Evie she was a tiny Little Bee! So good to see them (and to talk blogging and photobooks with someone who doesn't think I'm crazy!)

David and Paige also stopped by to see the house and to let the kids play together for a little bit.

That night Eric's friend Stephen was supposed to stay the night but their wires got crossed (what does this expression even mean?).  They guys met up at the REI scratch and dent sale in the morning instead.  Eric got a steal on some shoes, bike rack, and a Columbia jacket for Evie for next year.

Later that day Eric met up with Mark.  I was hoping to join them, as I love catching up with Mark (and Stephen, too!) but Little Bit was down for the count.  Next year, guys!

We missed our usual visits with Elisabeth, Billy and Katherine, but E&B welcomed a new baby at Thanksgiving so they kept their Christmas travels understandably minimal.  We missed you!!!

Whew!  I *think* that about sums up our Christmas season!  

Oh, no, I just remembered we had a cookie exchange party.  Pretend I wrote all about it...dream about cookies. Okay. Done!

Merry Christmas!!!

EDIT:  So, wow, I am a terrible friend!  Rosemary was home for Christmas! Yay!  We had a reunion of the old crew at our house for an event we titled "Holiday Bullshit" on our shared Google calendar.  Just beers, snacks, and good old fashioned hanging out.  Miss this SO much!