In Brady's family, it is a tradition to open up the presents from each other on Christmas Eve and eat delicious snacks throughout the night. Santa comes on Christmas day. Growing up, we opened everything up on Christmas day. On Christmas Eve, we would eat dinner and then dad would read the Christmas story in Luke. Mom would give us our annual pajamas and we would open up a small present. Hot carob was usually served and a few sweet treats. Candles and Christmas lights were usually on too. If we hadn't delivered the white chocolate nativity or breads to friends, we would take the time to do so as well. My stocking always had an orange in it and pieces of my grandmother's delicious homemade candy that grandmother sent to dad or some carob covered treat from the health food store. Mom always put some pretty jewelry in it for us girls too. My annual Christmas ornament was an angel of some sort. Some years depending on our location, we got other ones too. The year we moved to Louisiana, I got a cute little gator holding a candy cane! Fun memories... Last year I put oranges in the kids stockings but they didn't go over well. So this year, I put one in mine. It was a chocolate orange! Santa also brought me my favorite candy as of the last few years. SKOR BARS!!!

Hailey was in and out of the lakehoue Christmas Eve fun since she was still running a fever. She didn't get to wear her cute outfit I had picked out either but Hunter wore his and got to be festive looking! When she was tired, she sat back in her chair and rested. Hunter liked helping Kelsey put presents under the tree and opening them until it was around his bedtime and then he called it quits and fell asleep. He opened up his remaining gifts the next day. 

 * Brady and Smokey both got the very same fishing pole. Smokey gave Brady his and Kelsey or Michael gave him his pole. What was even funnier (that isn't a word but I use it) was that both "wrappers" turned them into "Flugel Horns" or some funny name like that to disquise what it could be. 

* Fran and Smokey also made these neat stepping stones for their kids too. You know how children always give their kids gifts with handprints on them? Well they decided to return the favor and put their handprints on them. They gave me a pretty stepping stone that had a dragonfly on it - another one of the things I like. I put the stepping stone in the atrium until we find the perfect spot for it. Can't ruin a treasure like that!