Christmas Eve

My family is very traditional on Christmas Eve. To get ready for when my grandparents come around noon, my siblings and I make sure we have enough cookies and other treats to keep everyone happy. In the morning we get out our Christmas book, which consists of recipes and it also holds other things that are Christmasy. Usually we have the all of the ingredients out the day before, so that we are ready to make the food. I make the dips for all of the chips and crackers. I make a Ruben dip and a corn dip and another type of dip. Next my sister and I will lay out the cracker tray, which consists of different types of crackers and different types of cheeses and sometimes even salami. My mom is in charge of making the cheese ball which is covered in bacon. It is one of the best parts. My brother and dad, together, make my grandma's punch. We usually pair the punch with ginger-ail. My little sister gets out our cookie tray which consists of three layers of plates, which we pile different types of cookies on the tray. The cookies include ginger bread cookies, sugar cookies, cookies that are shaped like trees, and sprinkle covered cookies, and chocolate chip for my brother. We also set out coolers full of other drinks for anyone else that would want something else. By the time I grandma and grandpa arrive everything is ready. My grandma and grandpa usually bring shrimp and sauce and something else. If my grandma has time before they come up, she usually makes cookies. We snack throughout the day till Christmas Eve. During this time we watch movies, hang out, have fun play games, or do the foosball table. By the time Christmas Eve rolls around, we open up two presents. The first present is our pajamas that we pick out every year, the other we get to choose. When we unwrap our pajama gift we dress in the pajamas and then come downstairs by the tree and sit in front of it and get it a picture. Once this is done, we get to open our next present, which it is usually an ornament and then we all sit on the couch and watch National Lampoon's family Christmas vacation. It is a tradition and every year it gets even funnier. When the movie is finally over, we all go up to bed and wait for Santa to come.

Let me know what you do for Christmas Eve. What are your traditions like?

Thanks, Emily.