Twas the Night Before Christmas

Christmas Eve was a jam packed day. Elizabeth and I started the day by giving ourselves Christmas Pedicures while the boys went sledding.

Then I had to get some pictures of her because I rarely blow dry her hair and when I do I think it looks so darn cute! Here she is holding the Baby Jesus from one of Nate's mom's nativities.

This picture is out of order and blogger is being very uncooperative right now. I can't move it. ARG.


Growing up, we always went to a movie on Christmas Eve, so we carried on that tradition. The kids wanted to see Alvin and the Chipmunks The Squeakle (or Squeak World, as Harrison calls it). Despite Elizabeth needing to go to the bathroom 3 times, we enjoyed ourselves.




I let the kids open one of their presents from my mom when we got home, because I knew they would come in handy while making cookies for Santa. We all loved the aprons!




Santa was really craving peanut butter and chocolate this year.

Nate's sisters and I determined that we wanted the focus of Christmas Eve to be spiritual activities and not cooking and/or "hanging out." So, we decided to keep it super simple and get Panda Express take out. (My family always goes out to eat on Christmas Eve, for the same reason. We do our nice, big meal on Christmas Day.) We loved that there was no prep and no clean up! Harrison polished off almost an entire container of Orange Chicken himself! Fa Ra Ra RaRa!

(Insert Nativity Picture from above!) Next we did the Nativity, complete with Mary & Joseph (Elise & Sterling)

A shepherd and 2 sheep (Bella, Hope and a stuffed animal)

2 pretty angelic angels (Elizabeth and Carissa)



And Three Wisemen (Harrison, Caleb, and JonLuke)

Then we watched a short video of the nativity.
Nate's sister Wendy's father-in-law made her the neatest set of chimes, and all of this music to go along with it that we always do on Christmas Eve. I LOVE this tradition. Although, this year with many more kids than adults (and many of them little kids), the chimes didn't sound quite as lovely as usual. We eventually decided to just sing Christmas hymns. We still missed all the other voices (it's sad when I am the ONLY soprano trying to carry the melody alone), but we felt the spirit none the less. It wouldn't be a Watabe Christmas without Angles We Have Heard On High sung in parts.

Last we sang happy birthday to our brother-in-law Pete (I feel bad, some years we give his b-day more attention than we did this year, but I'm sure he's used to that, having his b-day on Christmas Eve.)

Then everyone went home, we put the kids to bed, did the last minute Christmas prep. (which I found, takes much more than a minute, even if all the presents are already wrapped!) and went to bed! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!