Christmas Eve

I had to work Christmas Eve, but pretty much every year we get an email from the powers that be, saying that non-essential staff (myself --- comes in handy sometimes) are allowed to leave at 2:30. As long as we leave one admin and one protection worker in the office, basically we're off two hours early. Woohoo! So we waited. All day. And that annual email kept eluding us. Finally I phoned home and said, "I'll be working until 4:30, you're going to have to start cutting up the veggies". I had visions of my company all arriving before me and dinner being ready, oh, somewhere in the vicinity of 8:00. Then at 2:23, that familiar ding singling the proverbial "You have mail" sounded and that was it... Christmas Holidays started early. Yay!

My parents, Cory's parents, his sister, and one of his Grandmothers, joined us at our place for Christmas Eve dinner. We served appies again this year. Along with mulled apple cider (I found a yummy recipe online) and punch. The eggnog never made it out of the fridge. We buy it every year, and every year pour it down the sink. Does no one like eggnog? Mom donated baking for dessert. I threw in Girl Guide Cookies and some macaroons I had 'ahem' baked on my coffee break (I had to pick up milk from the grocery store) so there was lots to eat.

A portion of the spread. Best thing about finger foods on Christmas Eve? Lots of leftovers for lunch Christmas Day! The kids opened a few presents from the Freeman side of the family, as we weren't seeing them the next day. Connor quite enjoyed these pens from Aunty Lindsay. I didn't enjoy washing them off of his floor and blanket after he'd left them out for Kirstin to find! :PAlex, concentrating intently on his gift.We don't have a fireplace, but the kids made do by hanging their stockings off of the piano.Now I miss our fireplace (we had two in our old house) because this photo would have been priceless with a fireplace :(

Dinah, doing her annual Christmas ribbon hunt. She is obsessed with it. If I leave a present out that has curling ribbon on it, the ribbon will be gone by the morning. Can't convince her not to chew the darn stuff up. Now I'll be doing my annual Christmas ribbon cat vomit hunt around the house.

Grandpa Freeman reading them a bedtime story in their new Christmas pj's!