A Different Eve

This year’s Christmas Eve was a bit different as the absence of Dana was truly felt.  Each year, she and Don always hosted a fabulous Christmas Eve at their house.  In the months leading up to it I would chat with her about all of her shopping, wrapping and place settings for that year.  She loved to find a new creative way to give everyone their own personal spot, a beautiful table, delicious food and gifts that would make their eyes light up.  Dana was a kid at Christmas.  She was always full of giggles and couldn’t contain her excitement as her gift pile grew – not ashamed of boasting when her pile was the biggest either.  She had a fine balance of loving the gifts but really just loving having her family and her closest friends (who were even more her family) there to celebrate and share her love with.

As I wrapped each present this year I thought of her.  Each and every present.  Long ago she started artfully wrapping our gifts with decorative paper, elaborate bows from “real ribbon” complete with some specially coordinated topper.  Over the years it became a sort of “thing” to see who was going to put what on top, which ribbon got recycled from last year and who got the special topper that year (inappropriate Santa ornament anyone?).  Now, I can’t help but continue to do the same with all of my gifts for my nieces and nephews as they see what little trinkets adorn the tops of their packages too.

She was very much missed and will be each year especially on Christmas Eve but we will carry on with her holiday traditions as we try to start some new ones to make up for those lost.

This year, the Orr clan (brother and sister in law Drew & Jess with my niece Cathryn, and nephew Cameron – Dad & Jill and my grandmother) gathered at our house.  We decided to make it as easy on us as possible with 4 kids three and under so that it could be relaxed and about the kids.  Everett made sure his first Christmas Eve was about him as he was fussy most of the evening requiring my full attention.  I then inhaled a plate of food (the two minute swallow a plate of food without chewing because you have to get some calories so you can feed your son again meal) without paying attention to what I had been served.  Thus…I threw Everett into a colic tailsping after the next feeding because of the meal. Poor Everett…poor us.

So, while I may have missed the end of dinner and all of the gift opening, I made sure that Colter took some pictures so I could see what happened!

The professional unwrapper himself.
(Turns out that once he unwrapped one that is all he wanted to play with and was annoyed by having to unwrap others.)

Here Pop and Nana Jill, let me help!

Pre-Fussiness Smiles for Pop

Celebrating Great Grandma Orr’s birthday a few weeks early.

Caden ecstatic to drink out of his Mickey Christmas cup with a straw. It’s the little things.

Just when Drew & Jess thought they had won Caden’s heart with the Little People airplane gift, he opened Great Grandma’s gift…a blinking, light up remote control car.  You have never seen a kid giggle and squeal so much. 

So yes it was different, but we were able to come together as a family and make it about the kids while still missing Dana and those we usually see at her house each year.  We made new memories with the new and more grown kiddos this year and got to enjoy the magic they bring to the holiday.  Everyone then ventured off to bed in their Christmas jammies waiting for Santa’s surprises!