'Twas the Night Before Christmas

I'm back! Back at home and back on the blog. Did everyone have a fab Christmas? We did. 2009 will go down in our family history as "the year of never-befores". Never before have so many things never happened before.

As you may or may not know, at the beginning of December my mom and dad took themselves on a fantastic cruise through the Caribbean, down the coast of Mexico, through the Panama Canal and down into South America. They were gone for 2o days. They flew into Tucson on Dec. 23rd at 7:30 pm. They had been awake for 40 hours.

My mom and dad always, always, always host Christmas Eve at their house. Knowing that they were coming home on the 23rd, after a long trip and that they wouldn't be in any shape to host a big party, Nick and I agreed to do Christmas Eve. Nick hosted at his house and I did all the food. Never before #1.

We didn't go to Tucson until Wednesday night and I still had to pick my parents up from the airport. I made 2 of the 4 desserts on Wednesday night but didn't really start cooking until Thursday morning. And then, despite my best efforts, we somehow just ran out of time. And Spencer took a really long nap. And my parents were tired. And Nick's house wasn't ready. And so we didn't go to church. I have never not gone to church on Christmas Eve. Never before #2.

I had been planning the meal for a good month. I told Nathan that I was going to make 2 kinds of lasagna, a meat pesto lasagna and a seafood lasagna. He told me I was going to ruin Christmas with my menu selections. The only way I would not ruin Christmas was to also make Oysters Rockafeller. (And a side note, the seafood lasagna, which we estimate cost a total of about $90 in ingredients, was FABULOUS and did not ruin Christmas in the least).

My brothers shucking oysters on Christmas Eve in a robe and a rain slicker so they didn't get oyster juice on their clothes. Never before #3.

Nathan and Jerry Nick wanted everyone to sit at one big long table. He moved all his furniture around and shoved 2 tables together. We all fit. This would have been a great picture if Spencer hadn't ruined it with his nose picking. Let's try this again. This is how Ginger spent the evening. We gave Nick a copy of "The Going to Bed Book". It's my favorite children's book. It's about a bunch of animals that seemingly live on a boat and get ready to go to bed. I told Nick it was to remind him of his time at sea. He decided it needed to be read to the group while he was sitting in a rocking chair, wearing a Santa hat, holding a pipe. Never before #4. We have never sat in a rocking chair with a Santa hat and a pipe and read something on Christmas Eve. But then it spread, and Kendra read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas on Nathan's iPhone. (Never before #5) And then Girl read something in Polish. (Never before #6)And my mom read The Polar Express (Technically, we have read this on Christmas Eve, but not with the chair, the hat or the pipe. Never before #7) The Auntie Karen read a poem she wrote about Geech 5 years ago after I found it in my saved email on Nick's laptop. (Never before #8) Someone thought that Ginger looked cold, so they covered her in a blanket. The Never Before's continue on Christmas Day, so stay tuned.......