Christmas 2013 (Part 3)

Christmas Day in Oklahoma is also filled with lots of fun traditions.  Grandma always makes her famous from scratch cinnamon rolls for breakfast with lots of fruit. Stocking are overflowing for everyone. The wild gift opening is a sight to behold.  The thoughtfulness and generosity in this family astounds me.

The boys usually receive a cash gift hidden in some puzzle box.  The boys have the crack the code to get the cash.  This year, our daughter opened her daddy's puzzle box for him.

The day is usually spent playing more rounds of Scrabble and working on the puzzle. The kids, both young and old, play with their new toys.  Shooting of skeet and BB's usually ensues out back across Grandma & Grandpa's pond.  And Johnny B Good, one of Grandma's favorite cats, behaves badly, scoping the fish in the fish tank, as always.

One especially amusing tradition is the kids' Christmas video.  The 10-year-old grandchild initiated this idea a year or two ago.  She'll write the scripts, play the piano for musical embellishment, assign parts, design costumes, narrate the entire thing and serve as director.  Her brother acts when it isn't serving as videographer.  He also edits and produces the video. Our kids usually have speaking parts.  It's hilarious, and this year it was so lengthy it could have been a mini-series.

 

Grandma always makes Christmas dinner extra special.  We begin with very nice appetizers including one brother's annual cheese and grape tree and another brother's shrimp cocktail featuring the largest shrimp I have ever seen.  Omaha steaks, yeast rolls, salad, steamed broccoli and rich desserts are usually part of the feast.