I have held a gathering on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. I think it all started in 1990 the year after my Grandmother passed away and since she normally held Christmas Eve at her house, I decided to take over. We do that in my family, we tend to split the holidays and take turns hosting. I have moved quite a bit over the years from apartment to apartment to apartment as a single gal, and then I fell in love and got hitched and moved 30 miles across town and moved from a condo to a house. Each year most of my small family has faithfully attended.

They have tolerated my low ceilings in my studio attic apartment, they have put up with my low budget appetizer meals as a single gal. Its never even dawned on me not to host this party… it’s a tradition now. Some family members have stopped attending since I moved farther away, I still invite them year after year and I’m always hopeful they will make the drive out and share the day with us. Every year my family tries to out do themselves in the gag gift department and then they attempt to hide their prize gifts behind my couch and leave them for me to find a few months later.

A gag gift may be a gaudy thrift store lamp, a box of mac & cheese or an old prom dress. There is no telling what my family will wrap up. It always ends in eye watering rolling on the floor laughter. I have watched my family grow & change… my little nieces who would play with their Barbie’s are now parents themselves. We also have a new family member attending her first ever Christmas Eve bash… my little Livi. I treasure my Christmas Eve parties so much and this year is going to be really special.

Picture: My Family Christmas Eve 2003