5 Days of Christmas {Smith-mas Eve}

Smith Family Christmas Eve

After Christmas Eve morning manicures (isn't that a fun new life-with-girls tradition?) and some good long naps (maybe an even better tradition? ha), the girls were ready to head over to Salem for the Smith's Christmas Eve.  

  

  For the Smiths, Christmas Eve is hosted by one of the three children (Susan, Paul, or David) and each year it rotates. This year, it was Paul and Beth's turn to host, and I love the sweet words my mother-in-law Susan wrote about our fun and fellowship together.  Here's what she had to say:

Our Christmas Eve tradition was started by my parents years ago. We'd gather together as a family, first every year at their home. Then when Dave and I got married and moved to Maryland in 1977, we'd still come back home and spend Christmas Eve with all our family. Eventually when my brother's married and had their own families too we still practiced this tradition. Now we take turns going to either our home or one of their homes to celebrate! Two years ago my sweet daughter-in-law and Samson graciously took my turn at their lovely home. Last year I was blessed to be able to have everyone at our home. It was really special, because we had the entire family present, but this would be the last year Tyler would be at home before getting married and starting his own tradition. This year it was my brother Paul and Beth's turn to have us at their spacious, beautiful home. Everything was decorated so festively, and I enjoyed looking upstairs at all the beautiful wedding photos of Tyler and Christy before going downstairs to join the family!

Aunt Kim meeting Alston

Our family keeps growing! My Mom has 4 children, 7 grandchildren, and with Alston Fields Cromer arriving Oct. 09th, her newest great grandson, that makes 5 great grandchildren!! I never really realized just how important these family gatherings were until my eldest granddaughter, Samantha Grace, wrote a paper about her favorite Christmas traditions. She wrote, " My family's Christmas traditions are going to my uncles' homes or our home and eating home-made dinner. Then we like to play games. We always look at the lights on the way home..." I love hearing all the laughter as my son and my brothers keep everyone laughing with their funny stories about growing up in our family. The food is delicious, as everyone brings their favorite dishes to share, whether it's Kim's delicious pin-wheels, or Beth's famous hot ham rolls, or Sue's cheesy squash casserole, or Mom's coconut cake!! I loved having all 5 of my grandchildren there and watching them play together on Beth and Paul's stairway. Harper Mae and Sydney were so sweet to sing "Happy Birthday to Jesus"...so precious!! I loved hearing my brother Paul read the Christmas story from his Bible in Luke 2, and how Mama recited a large portion of it by memory .For after all, this is what Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the only one who can give real peace, joy, love, hope, and new life!! I like to think that "Our family is a circle of strength and love. With every birth and every union, the circle grows. Every joy shared adds love. Every crisis faced together makes the circle stronger." I hope my family knows just how much I love and treasure each one of them!!

 

Sleepy girl ready to go home

Ready for Harper and Willa!

Our ride home from West Salem is about 35-40 minutes since it is the total opposite side of Roanoke county.  I pulled up a picture that had been posted of Santa and his reindeer flying past the Roanoke Star, so the whole way home the girls were peering out the windows, hoping to catch a glimpse.  It also served as motivation for them to get in bed ASAP, because Santa can't leave presents if little ladies are still awake, so they just had to rush to get on PJs and get to sleep.  ;)  The benefits of a simple Christmas is that it only took us about 15 minutes to prepare the girls' gifts for Christmas morning.  (The chairs are theirs from their rooms, and their presents are the ones on the fireplace.  All the others around the tree are for our extended family.)  It sure beat scrambling to assemble things at 11 p.m.

If you'd like to read about the rest of our Christmas, check out these other posts:

5 Days of Christmas {Our Merry Little Morning}
5 Days of Christmas {Tennessee Christmas}
5 Days of Christmas {Christmas Dinner}
5 Days of Christmas {Smith-mas Eve}
Christmas with Kasey
Christmas Pictures 2014