Christmas Eve traditions..

Merry Christmas to everyone! I'm a little sad, because soon, the Christmas posts will be ended. Anyways..

Every Christmas Eve we go to my aunt's house to celebrate with my dad's family. Lots of food and cousins and pictures and dogs. Mom always gives cheeseballs and crackers, Dad gives coupons for car washes, sister always makes deviled eggs, and the night ends in an agreed, "we should do this more often," but despite the fact that five of the six siblings are within five miles of each other [yes, FIVE], we only gather two or three times a year.

Then Mom, Dad, twin sister [Jessie], and I return home and Jessie and I open new pajamas, and we watch a Christmas movie. We used to put out milk and cookies [although I'm pretty sure neither Jessie nor I actually believed in Santa.]

After Dad and I brutally beat Mom and Jessie in two games of euchre, tonight's movie of choice: A Christmas Story

A Tribute to the Original, Traditional, One-Hundred-Percent, Red-Blooded, Two-Fisted, All-American Christmas...

CLASSIC. [Sidenote: You know what else is classic? Ribbon candy!] I can't believe two of my four roommates haven't seen it! I love it, and my know my parents do also, but they are snoring through it as we speak...

"My kid brother had not eaten voluntarily in over three years," and, "Aunt Clara had for years labored under the delusion that I was not only perpetually 4 years old, but also a girl."

Which brings me to this: What is the worst gift you have ever received, and have you actually ever had soap put in your mouth?

Anyways, here are three pictures from tonight. Who would have thought that the world's cutest 18-month-old little girl would be the party's biggest star? And she is the biggest ham!

Her new favorite game: Feeding Aunt Jewel with her chubby little baby fingers. Chex, Cheerios, and Gold Fish never tasted so good!

Me, niece, and twin sis. LOVE them!

Leah was NOT happy when those bows lost their stickiness and fell off her head!

A second sidenote (and you can have this one for free!): Men of a Certain Age. Seen the previews? They say it is riveting, revolutionary, bittersweet, and has a certain charm of its own. I'm intrigued.