Family Christmas Party 2011

Every year, my mom's side of the family gets together before Christmas for an annual Christmas party.   To mix things up this year, we decided to move the location to a Burdette Park Cabin.  This allowed homes to be freed up and everyone to have more room to visit.  It is always great to catch up with family, enjoy some yummy food, and watch the kids play with their cousins (1st and 2nd).  Definitely going on a diet after eating some of the goodies like maple syrup soaked pigs in a blanket!

The kids all open one gift brought by the parents and the adults participate in a Chinese gift exchange. As always, the gift exchange has an alcohol theme to it and it gets pretty crazy watching the alcohol change hands while the sensible (aka boring) gifts like tool kits, picture frames, and candles never get "stolen".  We gave the boys Lego books, Star Wars and Harry Potter) that kept them entertained for an extended time period. Claire was having fun running around and sharing popcorn with her 2nd cousin, Eli, who is a few months younger than she is.

...and it wouldn't be a family party without some added drama. That cut the party shorter than usual, but it was still a good time! Merry Christmas to all my family!