Our Christmas Traditions

We have Christmas Eve at our house just about every year.  It's something we love to do.  Even though it can get a little stressful about 2 hours before everyone comes over, it is totally worth it.  All the family comes over and this is about how our night goes with a little variation each year.  We once tried to change it up a bit and the big kids rebelled; they were so used to our traditions.  So, we quickly went back to the normal routine.

We have a delicious Christmas Eve dinner.  We split up the meal, so none of us have to do too much.  Randy always makes the Macaroni Salad.  It is one of our favorites.  We have a ham, hashbrown potatoes, green bean casserole, macaroni salad, rolls, corn and peas, a green salad, and desserts.

We have people seated in the dining room, kitchen, and also there are 3 tables set up in the basement.  usually in the dance room.  That's how many it takes to seat everyone.  We usually have the missionaries with us as well and sometimes an extra family.

We always get to hear from Rick, Randy, Robert, and Lauri.  They sing just about whatever we request.  We all have our Christmas favorites.

Then we have more musical numbers from whoever prepared that year.  This year we had some new ones.  Emmaline sang, Chloe played the violin, and Reagan sang.  I wish I could remember the songs, but they did a wonderful job.  I do remember Chloe's was an original!

Leah sang with Josie and then she sang with Aubrey.  They sounded beautiful!

Kirsten's husband Brad is an excellent pianist.  He played for us as well.  Alyssa is his official page turner.

I had never sung with my kids and Randy, so I thought I would give it a shot, just for fun.  We just practiced something that day.  They did a lot better than me! Ha!ha!

The cousins always act out the nativity while Grandpa reads from the Bible.  We used to have a lot more little ones, but everyone just keeps growing up!!!  The year before this last Christmas we did all the music and nativity in the basement.  It made for great acoustics and we set up a microphone for Dad so we could hear him better.  This year we decided not to make Grandma and Grandpa have to go down and back up the stairs.  They are pretty steep!

We had a sweet little extra cousin this year.  Aubrey's husband Chase has a little girl.  She is precious.  We are happy to have her as part of the family now.  She's the little one on the right in the white sweater.  This was our kids crew this year.  We were missing a few of the originals, (Spencer, Gabrielle and her husband Corey, Brayden, Blaze and his wife Savannah and baby Beckham)  but we have some husbands now in the mix too.  Our family is growing.  Look there are no babies either!  I guess we won't have anymore till our kids start having them.

Reagan, Colin, Emmaline, 

Brinley, Chloe, and Maddox

All elementary school age and younger.

All our teens!

Annelise, Eliza, Tanner, Zach, Logan

Alyssa

Christiana and Josie

All our young marrieds!

Kirsten and Brad

Aubrey and Chase

Leah and Eric

All of us parents

Robert and Sharon

Randy and me (Carrie)

Rick and Wendi

Lauri and Kinley

The original Krogh's who started this whole thing!

Oh, and we can't forget the cousin gift exchange.  If we are organized, they all draw names at Thanksgiving and then buy for eachother not usually spending more than $5.  They love to do this and it's always fun to see what everyone gave to each other.

It was a great Christmas Eve.  We really missed the ones who could not be with us, but they are always with us in our hearts.  Hoping to be with Spencer, Gabrielle and Corey next year.  We will look forward to that.