Friday, Dec 24
Christmas Eve
We were super excited for the Biddall Christmas Eve party.
We spent many a Christmas Eves at the Billat's home when they lived across the street from us in Parker. Now most of their adult children live in Utah County (Jeff, Rebecca, and Chase are in TX, Lauren is serving a mission in CA). Jeff and Rebecca were coming to UT for Christmas, so the girls had the great idea to have a Biddall reunion. (Biddall is name those same girls came up with many many years ago as they made creative videos of the "Biddall Show," which are still in private circulation haha. Billat + Syddall = Biddall) We were missing Tay, Nae and fam, and Sister Lauren Billat.
We had dinner, attempted a live nativity, and played the traditional candy game.
We gave each other puzzles... also tradition.
(Not great pics of the group eating and visiting... I was too busy catching up! I'm glad I at least got... two haha)
I didn't expect much from the live nativity, but it actually turned out better than anticipated, despite {mostly} very young children in oversized animal costumes ;-)
The shepherds, Emmett and Jack, were a bit apprehensive about their headwear.
And allllllll those girls wanted to be as close as possible to the baby Jesus.
The stable scene was occasionally scattered about, but the narrator kept plugging along.
Scarlett played her role as an angel perfectly.
(This costume was one I made for Lex when she was Scarlett's age... so glad I held onto it for all these years!)
Annie was a perfect Mary, and Ellis was a reluctant Joseph.
I thought this shot was funny because of all the cameras going:
Jack took his shepherd role a bit more seriously than Emmett did ;-)
(I had to chuckle at the fold-up Barbie house, front and center, on the coffee table during the candy game. We had kids here, there, and everywhere, which meant toys were moving from level to level freely.)
I'm so grateful Hailey brought her camera and tripod so we could get a few group shots:
I am so grateful for these wonderful friends ♥ I love them.
The Billats had a long drive to the house they were all staying at for Christmas, so we had started the party early and ended early. After they had gone, all the grandkids got to open a little gift from Gigi and Li'l Bill.
When those cute kids had gone home to set out cookies for Santa and get tucked into bed, the house was so quiet. Bill, Mar and I opened some pjs, I think we watched a show, then hit the hay earlier than I have ever hit the hay on Christmas Eve {since being a parent}.
It was lovely.
