Merry Christmas!

I know I am a few days late with a Christmas post, but whatever. This year my mom, brother, dog, and I trekked to Gainesville, GA where most of my mom's family lives. Our first night here, my brother and I went to our cousin Anneliese and Corey's (hooray for the newlyweds!) for a night full of delicious Gnocchi and beignets made by my cousin Torie and a viewing of Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation.

(gnocchi!)

The days in between arriving here and Christmas, my brother and I stayed with my Aunt and cousins who had come home from Birmingham and Atlanta. It was filled with lots of Super Smash Bros Brawl (it's not a cousin get-together if we don't play), movies, and outings to Buffalo Wild Wings. Christmas Eve, we had a massive family cookie party, attended the candlelight service, and ate at the Golden Buddha for some Christmas Eve Chinese food (another big family tradition!)

(I was awful proud of my Harry Potter cookie.)

Christmas Eve, my brother and I came back to my grandparents after dinner and watched A Christmas Story while enjoying some Baileys' Irish Cream (yet another tradition.) 

Christmas this year has definitely been more about spending time with family rather than the gifts, and that is exactly as it should be! That being said, I got some lovely gifts. My mom got me the softest pink bathrobe and new makeup, my great-grandmother gave me some of her old knitting books that contain some of the coolest stitches I have ever seen, an Old Navy Gift Card, and lots of little odds and ends in my stocking as well. I am just overwhelmed to receive any gifts at all! And my mom loved the Bath and Body Works stuff I got her, and my brother will enjoy his Dick's Sporting Goods Card. It was a great Christmas morning!

That evening, our whole family went to my Aunt and Uncle's for Christmas dinner. And if our family knows how to do anything, it's cook! We enjoyed ham, fried turkey, broccoli casserole, green beans, cheesy potatoes and who knows how much else! And that was just dinner. Desserts were just as good! Hazlenut cheesecake, coconut cake, cherry pie... and it was all delicious. In true family fashion, all the cousins sat at the "kids' table" (the youngest one of us is 15, but we don't care!) It was a wonderful time!

After dinner, my cousins Summer and Anne Marie and I went and saw Les Miserables. And to say I was blown away is an understatement, and yes, I have seen the stage play in London and yes, I thought it was just as good. I have now seen it twice and will be writing my review of it later today. I highly recommend it (and have plans to see it a third time once I'm back in Mississippi!) We wore our paper crowns from our crackers to the movie and had a grand old time.

It has been a great Christmas and we are here in Georgia until the 29th. Tonight we are having dinner at my Aunt Catherine's house and taking all of our dogs to the dog-park this afternoon. Hopefully Roscoe makes some friends :)