Entertaining At Christmas

I love entertaining at Christmas.  Every Christmas Eve, I invite my entire family and family friends over for an evening of good food and good times.  It's also the only time when everyone gets to see each other as everyday life tends to keep some away throughout the rest of the year. 

I started this tradition about 8 years ago.  It was something that my grandmother used to do but as she got older the tradition sort of fell by the waist side. So I thought I would bring it back.  What started out as a small group of 16 people sitting down at dinner has now grown to 40 plus buffet dinner.

Christmas Eve is the perfect time for me to have family dinner because Christmas day is busy for folks.  Some family members may have plans to spend Christmas with their spouse's family or those with little ones would rather stay at home so that the kids could enjoy playing with their presents.  I remember being a little girl and my parents dragging me and my brother out the house to go visit my grandfather's sister for Christmas dinner.  It always made my brother and I so mad because we would rather stay home and play with our toys. Selfish I know, but we were kids and that's how some kids are.  Plus it was so boring. Dear great auntie did give us some cool gifts though.

I spend months getting ready for this day - all thanks to Organized Christmas and Magical Holiday Home. I design a budget, plan a menu, make guest list, send out invitations... I go all out.  Guests usually start arriving about 6 in the evening.  We say the blessing before dinner.  After dinner we mingle a bit - the kids hang out in the guest room where I have games out for them and the tv set up for watching movies.  Later we open gifts. After the gifts we mingle some more and eat more.  Like I've said before, some of the family don't get to see each other much throughout the year so on this night there's a lot of catching up going on.  There's also lots of memories being captured by yours truly.  The house is usually empty by midnight.  My guests are full and happy and I am giddy like a little kid.  So happy that once again, the holidays with family was a success.

My family has come to expect being at my house Christmas Eve.  When asked, I tell them that as long as I'm physically able to and have the passion, it will continue.  I doubt that the passion will ever go away.  As far as being physically able, that remains to be seen.