Christmas Eve with Family

We had such a great Christmas Eve this year! I think I want to make it more of a tradition to stay home now that we are in a more permanant place and starting to do our own things.

For so many years being either close to home, or in school, and constantly moving around we always went "home" for Christmas. Home meaning where we both grew up. Of course that will always be referred to as going home for us, but actually staying "home" has a new meaning for us.

This year was a year of firsts!

A first time for celebrating and making the celebration our own. With that we could choose whatever we wante to do. I love to have a fun time and in the spanish culture they like to celebrate from Christmas Eve until Christmas, usually opening gifts at midnight. But I grew up where we did the exchange gifts on Christmas Eve then usually wake up early. So I thought I couldn't completely destroy my kids's culture so I have started a new tradition of making a mexican meal on Christmas Eve.

Tamales, Beans, Rice, and homemade orchata.

I was in the kitchen all day until about 5 pm! Vicky came at about noon so we could begin wrapping up the tamales. I started the meat in the slow cooker the night before and it cooked until about noon when she arrived. We had to make the chile for the tamales, wrap them up, and then cook them for about 3 hours. Lots of work but they were SO GOOD! The day before I started the horchata because it has to sit over night, and I was also trying to get things done for Christmas so I wasn't in the kitchen all day again. I made bread, cinnamon rolls, funeral potatoes, rice, and beans along with the other food I mentioned.

We were lucky enough to have family around to enjoy the time with. Juan and Vicky and David, Melissa and Destiny.

Here are the kids with thier gifts from David and Melissa and then our gift to Destiny.

Niko's first Christmas Eve! Not to long after this he went down for the night. He was ready for bed! He couldn't take any more fun for the night!

This was something that usually doesn't happen with this family, but usually watch a movie or watch sports. So to get them to play games with us was BIG! We busted our moves playing Dance Central on the Kinect, then playing Loteria.

Juan getting his groove on...

Keenan...

David and Juan battling...

So here is Loteria. It's Mexican bingo but all with spanish words and its at a fast pace. It's a lot of fun and whoever won the bingo, got to choose how the next bingo was played. Like 4 corners, black out, an X, and so on.

The guys chillin after eating.

We had a great time and good food was eaten, good company was had, and lots of laughs were heard!