Celebrating The Greatest Gift

Christmas for us is all about celebrating the birth of Jesus. We're thankful for the family and friends that we got to celebrate with this year.

After church on Christmas Eve we went over to The Prairie Daddy's parents' house. It is tradition to have oyster stew and chili. I grew up on oyster stew on Christmas Eve too. And history says the Irish started that and neither of our backgrounds are Irish! Funny, eh?

On Christmas Eve everyone took turns taking pictures with The Prairie Kid like kids getting to sit with Santa and get their picture taken. Here are the beloved local aunties:

And the beloved local grandparents:

And my folks:

And The Prairie Family:

Christmas morning on a ranch is not like Christmas morning off a ranch. Many think of Christmas morning starting off with kiddos waking up and going straight to their parents' room to wake them up too early and together make their way in their warm pajamas to the Christmas tree to begin the gift-opening festivities.

Not on a ranch. On a ranch the kiddo and the mommy wake up just like any other morning, and hang around waiting to hear from the daddy aboutg when he might be done working. This year we had the company of Abuelita and Abuelito to wait with. So, we really didn't get started on the whole gift thing until 10:30 or 11am. By then The Prairie Kid was dressed "just like Daddy."

The Prairie Kid helped each of us open our presents. I got my traditional "cute socks" from The Prairie Daddy:

OH BOY! Abuelita got napkins!

A fishing lure for Abuelito!!!

Oh wow, Daddy! What's this? A cottage cheese carton? (We find funny things to house our presents...it was really a pair of work gloves.)

Here, Daddy, let me help you...

And Grammy got me Candy Land!

Look at me playing my new game...I am thinking really hard, see my tongue? Just like Daddy!

For Christmas Dinner (lunch) we had some home-grown prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, and salad. Mmmm.

And then, since cows don't get the whole holiday concept, my mom and I went down to help move a sick cow up to the barn. It was a bitter 20 degrees but we "cowgirled up" and got her in and The Prairie Daddy treated her.

What is Christmas without some healthy men against women games? Some friends of ours came over and we had lots of snacks and dessert while the WOMEN BEAT THE MEN! Woo-hoo! And our kiddos played so well together and even took a bath...check out these cutie-patuties!

Couldn't you just eat them up?

My folks got snowed in the day after Christmas and got to stay an extra day. We had more fun playing games and eating. Oh how we've eaten! Now we're all getting back to normal (but we're still eating all of the left over goodies!) It is comforting to know that almost everyone puts on the extra 5-10 over the holidays.