Christmas Eve 2009

This was our first year since moving to Tennessee to spend Christmas at home! The past two Christmases, we have been traveling to New Orleans or Jackson, MS, to spend the holidays with our families. However, since Jonathan's folks live here in Knoxville now, and we spend Thanksgiving with my family, we had the opportunity to take a break from traveling and have Christmas Eve and Day in Knoxville. It was wonderful!

Christmas Eve day we just took it easy. We rested, wrapped gifts, and played! Christmas Eve night, we got all dolled up in our Christmas attire and went to a Christmas Eve service at Granna and Geegaw's church, Sevier Heights Baptist Church. It was a beautiful service, and the kids did great sitting through an hour-long period of singing and preaching! I did end up getting out of the sanctuary with Nora at one point because she was starting to get quite loud.

After the service, we went back to Granna and Geegaw's house for a delicious Christmas Eve supper of turkey, chicken 'n dressing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and butter beans. Ms. Joyce made a wonderful, traditional supper that we all thoroughly enjoyed.

After eating, we each opened one gift. As a tradition that I would like to incorporate in our Christmas, we gave the kids Christmas pajamas that they opened and then wore to bed so they could be in them on Christmas morning. I bought them matching jammies this year, but I am sure as the years go on, they won't always match, nor will they want to! HAHA! We opened gifts, then headed home to put the kids to bed and set up their gifts!