Celebrating the Christmas Season {Time with Family}

 I hope you all had an enjoyable time celebrating the birth of our Savior with your family and friends! We had a get-together with Dad's side of the family on Christmas Day. About forty or more of the eighty-some family members were there, and we had a good, noisy time together! =D

Aunt Mary hosted the gathering this year

me chatting with Grandma

Aunt Mary preparing drinks; I tried eggnog for the first time, and
 really like it!

Beth holding Elizabeth, Ethan's sister

Ethan, our cousin's son

We played Blockus for a good while; it was a new game for us, but a lot of
fun!

We celebrated Christmas with Gram and Pap Maurer on Thursday, and woke up that morning to this:

It was only a few inches, but hey, it was enough for a snowball fight!

  After a yummy big breakfast, Pap read the Christmas story from Luke 2...

.... and we all opened our gifts:

we had to do a group hug at the end... LOL

  The delicious Christmas dinner consisted of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, corn, stuffing, applesauce, and cranberry salad (we thought about sending you some, Melinda! =D). 

What a feast!

   After dessert of pie, some of us went out and shot skeet:

Dad was definitely the best shot

I think I missed more than I hit, but it was fun

Daniel shoveling snow from the sidewalk

Icicles! Boy, we don't get ones that size down south!

I hope you all had a Merry--if not white--Christmas!!

Celebrating the Christmas Season {The Reason for the Season}

Hark, the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”

Joyful, all ye nations, rise, Join the triumph of the skies;

With the angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Hark, the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King.”

Christ, by highest heav'n adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin's womb.

Veiled in flesh the God-head see; Hail the incarnate Deity,

Please as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel!

Hark, the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail, the heav'n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings, Ris'n with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die,

Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

Hark, the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

"And the angle said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."   Luke 2:10-15

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."  Mt. 1:21

Celebrating the Christmas Season {Gingerbread Houses}

    This past Saturday, we made gingerbread houses, our favorite Christmas tradition! We had a great time deliberating over our designs, and it was neat to see what different ideas we had this year!

Thank you, Mom, for all the work you put into the
actual making of the houses!

the house pieces

"gluing" the houses together with icing
{and hoping that they stay together}

the architects at work =)

 and the finished products: {drum roll, please}

Daniel's: very carefully and colorfully designed, with a
peppermint archway, a tootsie-roll woodpile, and
chocolate animal crackers in his corral.

Bethany decided to make a zoo this year, which was a new idea
we'd never tried before. Tootsie-roll-and-pretzel fences hold the
chocolate animals in pens, complete with M&M sidewalks

I stuck with the simple look, since I prefer plain gingerbread
and icing than a lot of candy. Jelly-beans and green icing
for my bushes, a pretzel fence, and chocolate
chips for my sidewalk... yum!

Nate was the most architectural one (you can tell he does construction
work). He carefully designed his graham cracker "tin" roof complete with
chocolate chip ridge cap, and spent a great deal of time tediously constructing
the perfect chimney (which you can see in below pic, far left). He also penned
his livestock in a sturdy corral. We told him, though, that he could have used a
little help in more decoration: it's definitely a bachelor's house. =P

the backs of the houses: (from left to right: Nate's, mine, Beth's, and Daniel's)

What are you all's favorite Christmas traditions?