This is where it happens. Lodi, California.
We all shop, wrap, create, make, bake and prepare for these two days. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Hours, days, weeks of planning go into this event and its all for love. We love each other. We love being together. We love when we have more to love. Be careful, we'll adopt you if you stick around for a while.
It starts with the preparing of the sit down formal meal for 20-30 people depending on the year complete with china, silver, linen and yummy, yummy food prepared by many hands in many houses. There is talking, planning, munching, laughing, screaming, giggling, picture snapping, guests who drop in througout the day, basketball playing, tattle telling, gentle correction, and it repeats as we build up to the time when we will all sit down together to share a meal.
Then it happens. The tables are set and arranged, the guests find their seats. The Christmas story is handed out on numbered cards. We take turns reading parts of the story of Jesus and His birth. Then we pray, then we eat, oh do we eat. As soon as the last morsel is finished we start the clean up. It's funny, the whole day is in preparation for the meal but as soon as the meal is finished we clean it up. It's like a tide's ebb and flow. We just move with it and enjoy it and come together to clean, renew and refresh and prepare for the next wave of fun and enjoyment because we know there is more to come and we can't stop it, it will happen.
There are always family pictures and the picture drill sargeant (me) insists that people will get in family groups and take cute family photos and they will smile, there will be no bunny ears behind heads or silly faces (Randal).
We've added a new tradition in the last few years, the Christmas Quiz. Bryan creates it, we take it and complain the whole time even after ground rules have been set. Then the grading begins, the third, second and first place winners are announced and all are happy for the winner.
The White Elephant game must happen and we've instructed the people to get better gifts. Make it more interesting. It's better and we all love it but I think the kids enjoy it more than the adults at this point. We do it because we love tradition in this family and if it's traditon we do it.
Gifts for those we won't see on Christmas. We always think it will be just a few gifts but it always turns into a madhouse and we love it. We love the paper flying, the people moving about, the chaos. If you watch you'll see that everyone is smiling and thanking and hugging. And then there is an an attempt to clean up a bit.
Slowly but surely, one by one, people will start appearing in their jammies, usually matching, especially if you're a kid but this year, this year we got a treat. The adults got matching jammies. So comfy, so cute. Those in jammies are the lucky ones. The ones who get to stay overnight and have Christmas morning together.
People who are not staying overnight start heading home and we all gets snuggled in for the night. Letters are written, cookies are put out, children are snuggled in their beds, presents are arranged and put together. You can feel the warmth and excitement in the air. Its a strange combination of sleepy coziness and excited busy-ness but it feels so right. Those we love gathered together making memories and special moments happen for others.
This is where it happens and its so good and I am so thankful to be a part of it.
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