Christmas Eve

What a fun Christmas this year. We keep it pretty low key, but that is part of the fun. It isn't stressful. My husband did a lot of the shopping which I am very grateful for. He has great ideas. I am always at a loss about what to get his family and he knows just what will tickle Buddy Boy the most.

We had fun at Buddy Boy's Preschool Christmas party. They had learned several little songs that they sang for an audience of adoring parents and grandparents. It was pretty cute. We have enjoyed endless renditions of Jingle Bells, Christmas Bells are Ringing and others.

We spent Christmas Eve with his family. It was the traditional dinner followed by opening gifts. The dinner as usual was delicious. In the past they always had finnan haddie, a Scottish dish of smoked haddock, on Christmas Eve. No one really liked it, but it was tradition. After the family spent some time in Italy the tradition changed to chiopino, an Italian American seafood soup full of yummy crab, shrimp, and scallops. (I pass my mussles and clams to others who appreciate them more.) I look forward to this meal all year long.

This year Buddy Boy was old enough to get the whole Santa Clause thing, thanks in part to preschool, so we actually hung stockings on the mantel and the whole bit. We haven't done that in years past. I was just a little bit lazy. Buddy Boy tried the stockings on first, just for fun. I made them out of fleece so they were warm and stretchy.