Good Morning to all! It is a cold Christmas Eve morning here in Ohio, started out about 30 degrees and is dropping... saw a few stray snow flurries, the first of the season!!!

Well we had a good day yesterday. I had my family here for dinner yesterday afternoon. Normally this was the day we had my aunt who was mentally handicapped over for her Christmas Party. She really looked forward to this occassion, and I enjoyed getting everything ready for it every year. However as some of you know she died in February. We decided to continue the tradition, and the family once again gathered to celebrate "Terry's Christmas." When it came time to gather around the table there were not many dry eyes in the house as the prayer was being said...

So on to the happier moments of the day!!!

The people: my mom and step-father, my grandmother, my sister, husband and 2 kids, my brother and girl-friend, my aunt, uncle, his mother and brother, their 2 children, and my cousins' girlfriend, and all of us. 22 in all!

The food (very important around here!) I baked that 25 pound turkey. It was juicy and spicy , very good. I made a meatloaf with ground deer, and wild hog sausage, everyone said it was the best meat-loaf they had ever had, but no one asked what was in it!!!! Then I had mashed potatoes and turkey gravy, corn, green beans, sweet potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce, devilled eggs, a cheese plate, fresh vegetables and dip, dinner rolls, and pickled beets. For dessert we had cookies, fudge, ice cream, cheesecake with raspberry sauce, pumpkin pie, cream puff dessert, jello, and a coconut creme pie. I made all the main food and some of the desserts and other family members brought dessert. To drink I made punch with a bottle of cranberry juice, 1/2 of a container of frozen orange juice, a 2 liter bottle of ginger ale, and sprinkled it with cinnamon. It was good and spicy tasting.

We had a gift exchange, Kadia was in charge of passing out gifts and she gave them out one by one while we all watched and saw what each person got. Mine was great, my dream gift from my Uncle Sam. I got a laundry basket filled with things like aluminum foil, wax paper, plastic bags, plastic wrap and clothes pins!!! I have been telling people to give me this for years and someone finally heard me!!! It was all wrapped with white tissue paper and no tape (easy to re-use!!) Everyone had a lot of fun teasing me, that they would see the wrapping for the next 5 years (and they probably will...) I told them I would still have some of that foil when they came next year!!! That was a lot of fun!

The entertainment: Kadia played many songs on the piano for everyone, the other two girls wouldn't play!! We called my uncle in Arizona and passed him around to everyone, it was snowing out there! Plus lots of stories and jokes!

We were able to get the house basically in order and make it to church for the play "Mission Possible" It was awesome! A play about the angels whose mission it was to make sure everything was ready for Jesus's birth. Two people in our town have been in charge of this production for years and they are excellent with the kids!!! It was a nice evening.

Then home again and finished cleaning up the house and off to bed. Today we are going to my Mom's for lunch. She has some things for the kids, she told us to bring the truck!! Which is causing Cale to have fits, but he doesn't know it is because HE is getting a new wheel-barrow (although Megan said WE will probably use it more than he will, Ha! Ha!) We do need one as the old one is really in bad shape.

Well I had better go now, I have to hang up a load of laundry before I leave and round up the kids! Everyone have a good day, and enjoy the EVE before Christmas!!!

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 24, 2001

Answers

Cold, here -not supposed to get above freezing but the sun is shining- no hint of snow yet-well, there's allways tomorrow I suppose! I'm grateful that its not icy anyway!

The mailman just drove down our road to make sure we got our Christmas box from my sister-(usually, we have to walk up to get the mail a nice walk that I enjoy-)that was very thoughtful of him! I got a Christmas card from an old dear friend that brought tears (of joy) to my eyes.

I'm feeling very happy this year-grateful, I suppose!

We started a new thing this year. The kids have been great-really really well behaved and helpful. Still, Christmas IS stressful for little ones-and I don't like to scold when they are trying so hard, so when my 7 year old got a little crabby and almost tearful, she got a round of tickles from her Dad and I made her wear the Santa Hat- (I bought a cheap felt Santa Hat at Dollar General.) When Hubby came home grouchy becouse of a flair up at work, I made HIM wear the Santa Hat. Yesterday, I was really busy and the table was full of stuff and my son knocked over his orange juice, just an accident but, I'm sorry to say I snapped at him. My kids ran and got the Santa Hat! So now, at Christmas, if someone gets out of sorts, they have to wear the Santa Hat-it brings a smile pretty Quick!

Merry Christmas to all of you!

-- Kelly (Ksaderholm@yahoo.com), December 24, 2001.

We had Gary's family here this past Sat. Ate turkey etc. and played Balderdash (it is so much fun) and opened presents from them. Christmas day we'll take his family to the Mongolian BBQ for their present for us. It's a cool place and not very expensive, for those that can't make it, we'll give them gift certicates from the restaurant. Money for presents is very tight this year, so we thought doing this would be easier. We didn't decorate, I do know where the decorations are, but there's not a good place to put them.

We had Christmas and birthdays with my girls in October as we've done now for 3 years.

-- Cindy (SE. IN) (atilrthehony@hotmail.com), December 24, 2001.