Growing up, Christy’s family always spent Christmas Eve at her grandparent’s house on the farm. This year, she had the opportunity to recreate that to some extent for her family.

The night started with a Christmas buffet that The Travel Bags prepared.

And then there was this masterpiece which Christy’s mother creates every year. Oh boy!

After everyone filled their tummies, we put o a Christmas program for the family. The kids performed a skit that Hannah wrote based on Luke 2. The children played musical pieces on the piano, Steve and Marissa sand a duet, and The VonTravelBags Family Singers sang. We then invited the rest of the family to join in on Christmas hymns.

Here is Marissa singing with her grandma.

We were actually all enjoying ourselves. You just can’t tell because we have so much stoic German Lutheran in us. Wink.

Wake up Elijah!

Then the present dispersal began.

‘

Littlest opens first!

Each child received a gift from their great grandparents…except, apparently for Marissa who, according to photographic evidence, received nothing.

Hannah and Marissa worked extra hard on their gifts for their great grandparents.

Hannah wrote a (long) short story, and Marissa painted the farmhouse…as in a picture of the farmhouse, not actually painted the house.

It was a beautiful evening—quiet, simple, lovely, wonderful. We enjoyed it immensely, and it will forever be a special Christmas memory for all of us.