Christmas Eve

This year, we began our own new tradtion.  We hosted a Christmas Eve Open House, and served Bouillabaise (pictured above), some appetizers and home made cookies.  It's our first Christmas without Jim, and now that Connie and Chris are not in OH for the winter, it was my idea to come up with something special for us at Christmas when family wasn't in town.  It turned out to be a great party with lots of friends (some of whom didn't have family in town either), although I didn't take any photos.  The bouillabaise was a tradition that we used to share with Tommy & Vicky Concannon on NY's Eve, but we've made it our own and will now continue to share this at our Chritmas Eve Open Houses.

Here is Frank's Gingerbread/Candy House.  He added to it this year and it's beautiful.  It even has a miniature Little Lia in the yard!  :)

Lia was allowed to open up 1 gift before the party and she happened to choose her Groovy Girl's Prince & Princess.  She's already gotten several Christmas presents from other friends and family (that she's been able to open before today), including a balance bike from Andy & Colleen  and 1 box from Nana that had seven small gifts in it, 1 for each day the week before Xmas, which she looked forward to every day!  :)  She's having a great Christmas!