Our Christmas Eve started out a little slow after a late night of prawns and champagne merriment, but by late morning we were on our way to Dundee to enjoy Christmas Eve lunch with family. We enjoyed great company and happy conversation over steaming bowls of soup. Our meal was followed by a boisterous hour of gift exchanges that left mountains of colorful paper all over the room. Darling handmade gifts were plentiful, and Donna Jean taught us all how to make the most ingenious magnetic bookmarks that cling to the book page- very cool!
As the sun began to melt into the horizon, we headed back on the road to meet the Marshall family at Faith Center, their former church, for a candlelight service. This year, Isaac’s dad took Christmas Eve off and was able to join us for the service. I absolutely LOVE the candlelight service- it’s something I look forward to every holiday season. The warmth, peace, and overwhelming sense of gratitude I feel when surrounded by the glow of those candles is indescribable. After the service we joined together with several aunts, uncles and cousins for yet another delicious meal. Afterward, we all moved to another aunt’s house for scrumptious desserts. I’m not sure when my belly has ever been so full!
Back in Salem, cozy in our new Christmas jammies, we snoozed in eager anticipation of Santa’s arrival and a magical Christmas morning!
.jpg "christmaseveblog01")
.jpg "christmaseveblog02")
.jpg "christmaseveblog03")
.jpg "christmaseveblog04")
.jpg "christmaseveblog05")
.jpg "christmaseveblog06")
.jpg "christmaseveblog07")
.jpg "christmaseveblog08")
.jpg "christmaseveblog09")
.jpg "christmaseveblog10")
.jpg "christmaseveblog11")
.jpg "christmaseveblog12")
.jpg "christmaseveblog13")
.jpg "christmaseveblog14")
.jpg "christmaseveblog15")
.jpg "christmaseveblog16")
.jpg "christmaseveblog17")
.jpg "christmaseveblog18")
.jpg "christmaseveblog19")
.jpg "christmaseveblog20")
.jpg "christmaseveblog21")
.jpg "christmaseveblog22")
