After our Christmas Eve service, we came back to our house and opened presents from the Aunts and Uncles. The kids really dug their gifts and it's fun to see how well the Aunts and Uncles know each other. Jon got Nate his weight in Gummi Bears (the good Haribu kind) and an alarm clock that is illegal in 7 states. The picture above just doesn't capture the chaos and energy that was contained in the room. It was multiplied by the amount of love that every niece, nephew, Aunt and Uncle has for each other in there. It sounds cheesy, but you have to be there to really understand it.
The love comes out in a lot of different ways - whether it's Kevin and Dan letting Maddie and Steve-O color their hair or whether it's Maddie sitting with Reggie and letting her sing Karaoke (which Jon explained about ten times means "empty orchestra").
There was noise the whole night, either Karoke, kids laughing or Rock Band. We played the whole night with the drums and microphone showing the complete lack of rhythm and singing ability.
Everyone got into it and everyone was having a blast. This Christmas Eve went later than most, with the kids gradually heading up to bed as they tired out and the adults finally crashing around 12:30. Dan and Kris broke tradition this year by heading home on Christmas Eve.
We had a lot of change this year, but it ended up being great. We ended up having more fun than ever and in the end, embracing the change and coming together as a family. The fun that we have together leaked out of every moment we spent together. It'll interesting to see how things continue to change over the years.
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