The Barri (more than one Barrus): Christmas Adam

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Christmas Adam

Christmas Eve is on Sunday this year, and as a result of that, all our normal Christmas Eve activities got pushed to Christmas Adam. We still celebrated, we still partied, and still ate way too much, we just did it a day early than we usually do. No biggie.

We gathered with almost all of the DeMartinis at Christopher and Tysen's house to have Christmas brunch, open presents, and play together. The kids were so hyped up they didn't eat very well, but when there are presents waiting to be opened and cousins to run around with, food seems largely incidental. After a delicious meal, we did sit around and open presents. Kent and I gave everyone a photobook which Mikayla had largely put together. Brandt got Legos, Blythe got an erasable drawing easel with markers. It was a lovely late morning and early afternoon.

We always spend Christmas Eve evening with the Barri, but that gathering was also moved to Christmas Adam. The past several years we have met at the Sandy Institute where Uncle David works, and this year was so exception. We did encounter a slight hiccup in that the building was double booked. We normally have access to the gym, a gaming area, and a large area with tables to eat. Another family gathering of 75 people was also there, and as we were only about 25, we took a smaller room. It was still plenty large enough for everything we wanted to do and worked out just fine.

We had a delicious dinner (we brought shrimp and rolls), then did our traditional white elephant gift exchange and nativity. There were very silly things on offer at the gift exchange, as always. There as a large box of red potatoes, probably 20 pounds worth, an Obama commemorative plate that Brandt came home with (we would like to shoot it with the BB gun), and a 4inch disco ball (very popular!). Kent came home with a kid microphone, I got earmuffs, and Blythe was lucky enough to get a stuffed animal. Such fun!

The nativity went about as well as they usually do. We did have a sweet baby Jesus in the form of Mina who is only about a month old. Blythe was a reluctant inn keeper, Brandt a wise guy, and the audience sang with gusto at the appropriate moments. We didn't have as many children as we often do, with only Brandt and Blythe, and Matthew's kids Aubrey, Tyson, and Emma. The bigger kids were good about stepping in to fill the breach. It was so nice to be together, to talk and laugh, and celebrate Christmas as a family.