Christmas Eve

I love Christmas Eve. It conjures up images of a peaceful evening, a quiet hearth, and visions of sweet things dancing through our heads. With teenagers in the house, though, it doesn't always turn out that way.

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It all started sweetly. Last night Sarah and Jacob spent a couple of hours hand-dipping nearly 100 large pretzels. So many wonderful people from church have given gifts of service to our family throughout the year, and at Christmas time we try to think of some small token of appreciation to give in return.

They put blue sprinkles on the white chocolate...

...and clear sprinkles on the chocolate chocolate.
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This morning we wrapped pretzels in blue plastic bags, tied them with ribbon, and attached notes for each family. Then Jacob spent all morning making deliveries.

My children spent the afternoon in pursuits like sledding and watching The Santa Clause. After dinner they asked if they could open one gift. I allowed them to open the family gift I'd gotten for them: the 3rd incarnation of Dance Dance Revolution.

So much for a quiet, peaceful evening! They spent the next 3 hours stomping out dance moves while the nick-nacks on my shelves shimmied dangerously near the edges.

I have to admit, it's fun to watch them. And I do approve of the new video games that encourage physical activity. (My personal favorite is Wii Fit.)

At 11:00 I called a halt to the dancing so we could observe our annual tradition of filming the kids while they hung their stockings. You can see that they became creative this year, hanging their stockings on the clock. Interesting, but odd...
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By 11:30 they were all snug in their beds, waiting for Santa to come. I'm sure they'd be dreaming of sugar plums, if they only knew what they were!

And so, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good-Night!