Christmas 2017

For Christmas this year, we went to my Aunt Kathy's house in Augusta. We drove up on Christmas Adam (Dec. 23) and went immediately to my Uncle Rick's house, as his children and their families were in town just for the day. I haven't seen my cousins Melissa and Richard in several years. It was great to see them, and I got to meet both of their new spouses as well. Sadly I didn't take a single picture. 

That evening a group of us went to Lights of the South to see the light display. We've done this twice before, but for some reason this year we weren't all that impressed. We decided we probably wouldn't go back. While we were on the hay ride, it started drizzling, and then it really started raining while we tried the light maze. We got soaked! But we had fun anyway.

 In the rest of these pics, we look like drowned rats!

Christmas Eve was a laid-back day. We did a little shopping, a little cooking, a lot of wrapping, and just enjoyed being together. That night we played a fun game with all the extended family - we enjoyed it, although it lasted a lot longer than expected. And then we got ready for Santa. 

On Christmas morning, we were happy to discover that Santa had indeed come to see us. One gift he brought was fancy Christmas socks for everyone. After opening presents, we enjoyed our traditional Christmas morning breakfast of Krispy Kreme donuts, and then enjoyed our gifts and prepared for the family lunch. We had the BEST Christmas meal this year - steaks, roasted potatoes, and salad. The day was perfect for grilling, and the meal was fabulous. I hope it becomes a new tradition!

After lunch we "tortured" everybody by forcing them to take family photos by the Christmas tree. I think we got some decent pics this year.

That afternoon we played a game where you try to pick up candy canes and move them to a bowl by hooking them on a candy cane in your mouth. We all laughed a lot watching each other attempt this not-so-easy task. 

It was a really nice Christmas - very low key and lots of family time. We drove home on the day after Christmas, but we would see Kathy, David, and Colton again very soon for New Year's Day.