2016 - December 25th - Christmas

Another year, another wonderful Christmas celebrated with the family! Our day started out by driving the three miles to the Kim's to watch Ruby open her Santa gifts! Now at six, she's really excited. Her red bean-bag chair to lounge in while reading was a big hit along with everything Harry Potter! She gave Papaw and Grandma presents that she picked out at her school's Christmas store and also a beautiful book with many pictures of our June 2016 Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Family Vacation. We all enjoyed some sweets and coffee before we headed back to Camerino Street to prepare for our gathering.

We came home and started on getting the table set, the Geese ready for the oven and roasting, the little cakes out, and all of the final meal preps. Some examples: Ed, Carrie and Ruby got around and finished up at their house then headed over to the homestead where we gave then our gifts. We have the gifts under the tree in our front living room and then the baskets with the "stocking-stuffers" under the tree in the family room. With seven grandchildren and the four adults, we have found out that this works the best!!!

Eric, Shirley and the Facey 6-Pack arrived around 4:30 after their church service was over. We all gathered in the front living room for the gift exchanges. Everyone had a package especially selected for them and all that are in the double-digit ages (from 12 to 43) also had some decorative envelopes with cash to shop for exactly what they want. Everyone was pleased!

The Disney Family Summer Vacation Book from The Kim's and the Hand-Etched treat jars made by Shirley from the Facey's for Papaw and Grandma! We all then went down to the family room for all of the stocking-stuffers to be divulged. It is easier to put all of the items in baskets rather than fill they stockings, take them down, then rehang them, so for quite a few years we have gone this route. The stockings remain on the mantle which also makes for having less chance of getting damaged ... they are getting old! Having made them over the years from our originals about 25 years ago through Evan's five years ago! These always have a collector ornament for each person which is another Facey Family tradition! Grandma made each of the kids their own Happy Reindeer head filled with Aunt Pam's recipe for Reindeer mix nuts and candy.  

Dinner time is always festive with our traditional Roasted Geese, Baked Honey Ham, dressing, salad, Au Gratin potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, red-white-green ribbon salad, dinner rolls (again this year we bought the Sourdough Mickey Head loafs from Disneyland) and more. What a great time of fellowship and family! Shirley's sister Debi and son Taelor joined us this year too and Kendall was able to come home for two weeks from college in Hawaii, so a total of 15 were here for dinner. All the high school, middle school and elementary kids get the island and Taelor, Evan and Ruby get their own make-shift dining area using our wooden TV trays. Jordan may get the main adult table next year if Kendall is not home!!!

Our newest tradition started a few years ago with the individual 3-tier Christmas cakes that Larry decorates for dessert on Christmas day. Eric requested less candy this year. Well, when all finished, I discovered that I really hadn't lessened the amount of candy but only the variety! Oh well, such is life! I decided to make them all in the Peppermint theme with red and green peppermint candies. To distinguish Jordan's gluten-free cake, I made her topper different with a Candy Cane Tree. Carrie brought us a Gingerbread House that a 90 year old lady makes for their church's annual Christmas bake sale. Just what was needed with 12 individual cakes and a ton of candy around the house! But it was beautiful and we were so appreciative to have a Gingerbread House this year.

Of course there was much playing by the kids after the meal ... enjoying their new treasures and playing with some of the toys always in Papaw & Grandma's family room closet! Evan also loved his BB8 pajama's and slippers from Star Wars as well as Ruby her Dutchess PJs and slippers from The Aristocats.

These two family pictures of Eric, Shirley, Kendall, Jordan, Mikayla, Ethan, Ella and Evan were so good that I just had to put them in our Christmas blog post! Before leaving, we all had many family pictures taken .. thanks Debi for being the photographer! We cherish each and every one of them!

Both Shirley and I took many pictures of the house. I thought it would be easier to look at them in future years for placement of all of the decorations rather than to just rely on memory. It really makes no difference where anything goes, but there is so much that to get it all out, these make sense to refer back to! And who knows, perhaps some year we'll take a trip and when we come home some family elves may come over and surprise us and put it all up ... Merry Christmas!!!

There are many more pictures in the album which can be found by clicking this link. Until our next adventure, we'll bid a fond farewell and a Happy New Year to all.