Today, ten of Hubbie's family came from other towns to spend the day with us. They traveled in thick fog this morning, so we were anxious until they arrived safe and sound.
We were amused when Hubbie's sister noted right away that all of us ladies were wearing bright red sweaters. Hubby blended right in, too, since he wore a red shirt. We looked very festive for a family snapshot later in the day.
In years past, Hubbie's family visited on the day after Christmas, and our tradition was to serve two kinds of soup...11-bean with Rotel and ham, and potato...along with deli meat and cheese sandwiches. But since the family came before Christmas this year, I thought it would be more fitting to serve a nice lunch of ham, baked sweet potatoes, California mixed veggies, and hot corn, along with biscuits, and use my "best" china on a burgundy tablecloth with white napkins in silver rings.
My "best" china consists of unmatched, but blended pink and blue floral plate and accessory pieces that I've picked up at yard sales and flea markets. The china looks nice, but is not so precious that I fear breakage. The tablecloth is a $4 clearance item from our local chain discount store.
The adults enjoyed the meal...the kids not so much. One adult and one child were looking forward to the soup and sandwich meal, so they were disappointed. I assured them I'd go back to the traditional meal next year. That's the thing about traditions. It's hard to break them and not disappoint some folks.
As soon as lunch was over, the kids begged to open gifts. Our gifts to the four little ones were stained glass coloring books. The pages in these books are clear, with line drawings of birds, flowers, and other things of nature. After they are colored with gel pens, the pages are to be cut out of the book and taped to a window, so the light can shine through them like stained glass. They are very pretty, and the kids enjoyed coloring them. The kids got several gifts from their doting aunts, too.
The ladies were delighted with the unusual wooden snowmen ornaments we gave them (I described these in a previous blog). In return, we received Christmas mugs filled with specialty tea and cocoa mixes, and grooming products from a stepdaughter who sells them for a beauty company. She included a pretty shade of lipstick in my gift bag.
We agreed years ago, that we would exchange only token gifts at Christmas, since the family is now so large. But we do splurge for birthday gifts for our kids...four of whom have December birthdays, and one who has an end-of-November birthday. We have six kids between us, with one having a February birthday.
From those kids, we have 14 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren, with two more great-grandchildren on the way next summer. Thus, only token gifts for Christmas!
It was a good day, in the good company of Hubbie's son, daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sisters, nephew, and great-niece.
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