Five Star Event

Last evening we shared in a bit of belated Christmas joy.  Each of the adults in our family received tickets to the play "Lend me a Tenor" and a promise for dinner out before the show as part of our Christmas gift to them.

Everything went perfectly except that one of my son in laws was sick and unable to go with us. He was truly missed. Although the restaurant, a BBQ place was very busy we enjoyed visiting with one another as we waited to be served and seated. It was fun to see everyone's choices from the menu. There were plates piled with ribs and meat, buns piled high with tender and sweet pulled pork, baked potatoes nearly the size of a shoe box with all the toppings and a big scoop of BBQ meat on the top. There were sides of coleslaw, cheesy potatoes, beans, corn, applesauce, and more. 

We sat outside on the patio and the weather was perfect. It was also much quieter outdoors so we could more easily visit with one another over dinner at our long shared table for 10.

The timing was perfect when we finished dinner just minutes before the doors opened for seating at the play. It was just a short walk to the theatre across the street.

The show was very good. It was well performed, funny, and very entertaining. We all enjoyed the performance. We all sat together so we were able to enjoy one another's laughter, quiet comments, and a treasured shared memory.

My husband and I were thrilled with the results of our evening out. It was just what we had in mind for our adult family members. As parents it is very rewarding to see your adult children enjoying shared  time together and to know that each one of them made it a priority to be there with our family.

It is fun to get to see the adult kids having a night off from being mommy and daddy to my adorable grandchildren and getting to be just who they are and a date to their spouse. It is great fun to have the original family unit together and marvel at how well each one of our in law kids fit into our growing family unit.

This was not a five star event in the fact that we were all dressed up dining with china or attending a black tie Broadway play. It was a five star event for our family because our goals as a family were met as we enjoyed every single minute of time together. What more could parents ask for? Last night we received far more than we gave!

The Joy of Anticipation

As part of our Christmas gifts to our family we purchased tickets for all of the adults to attend a stage production together.  We also promised them dinner out before going to the theatre. Most importantly, my husband included a very heartfelt message from us along with our gift. The note shared our love for all of them and the realization of how busy all of our lives are.  It spoke of the importance of family and the value that we put on our shared time together. A few tears were shed and calendars were marked with the priority being "family".

We are looking forward to this night out with our adult children. Schedules have been cleared and babysitters have be lined up.  Oh, the joy of anticipation!

Adult Night Out Christmas 2008

Without this bunch I wouldn't be a grandma at all! These photo's were taken on the evening of our Christmas adult night out with our grown children while all of the grandchildren were at my home with sitters having a cousin party of their own.

Our youngest grandson came along with us this year. He looks to be having a great time too while giving his aunt a hug during dinner.

My grown children and their spouses are an absolute treasure to me.  I couldn't be more proud of them for the values and integrity that they live by.  I am so grateful for the  productive and self reliant lives that they live and for the example they are to the next generation. They each take the responsibility of parenting and providing for their families very seriously. They also provide and give a lot of love and patience to their children which has nurtured very happy and secure grandchildren for me to love too!

Ho...Ho...Ho...liday Schedule

Our family is rich in holiday traditions. Every year we create a Ho...Ho...Ho...liday schedule to outline our holiday traditions. We love spending the time together. Everyone shares in the preparations and in the the participation of our family events. This site has many ideas throughout it for different activities you can do with your grandkids and families during the holidays.

If you would like to see more details on the Ho...Ho...Ho...liday schedule and more details on our holiday traditions go to my September postings under "Tis the Season". My planning does indeed start very early which is all part of the holiday fun for me!

Tis the Season

Tis the season to start thinking about the family holiday schedule. Christmas time is a very important and fun filled season for our family. We have a few traditions that we keep every year. I make a print out of our plans on a festive bordered holiday paper after clearing all of the dates and times with my adult children. I give each family their copy on Thanksgiving Day. It is known to our family as the  HO...HO...HO...liday Schedule. 

Here is a sample of what our schedule includes:

Early December: 12 hour *Grandkids Christmas Day Camp with Grandma. (I will post a schedule for this later.) This day gives moms and dads a kid free day to do some Christmas shopping.

Around Dec.  8-12: All Adult children and their families come to help Decorate Grandma & Papa's Christmas Tree. Donuts and Hot Chocolate are always served.

Other activities we squeeze in before Christmas include:

Progressive Dinner:  We have four homes between us. This activity allows everyone to see one another's homes during the holidays. We serve something different at each home. Appetizer, salad, main dish, and a dessert at the last home.

Adult Night Out: This night is reserved for the adults. My husband and I pick up the entire tab. I hire multiple babysitters and all of the grandkids stay at my home for a party of their own with the sitters. This night includes a nice dinner out and some sort of activity. We have gone to plays, holiday movies, zoo lights, and musical performances.

Grandparents Visit:  We spend an evening with my parents who are in their mid and upper 80's. We help them decorate their tree, take a treat to share, and we have some kind of activity planned.

Extended Family Christmas Party:  This is a huge celebration with my siblings, their children, and their grandchildren. We take turns hosting it. The host home supplies the paper goods and drinks. Everyone else brings a pot luck dish. All of the generations of cousins and aunts and uncles have a wonderful time catching up with one another.

Christmas Eve:  We all gather at my home for a nicely set table and a prime rib dinner. Each family brings sides to complete the meal. Each family is also assigned to bring an activity for the kids to do. We usually have a craft, a story, and a game.

Christmas Day:  All families have their own Christmas morning at home alone. We gather for lunch around 1:00 p.m.. Everyone shares in the food preparation. The menu changes every year but we like to keep it pretty simple with easy clean up. We do our gift exchange after lunch. 

Tips:  Include all needed information on the HO...HO...HO...liday Schedule. This saves confusion and phone calls later. It also lets families know their food and activity assignments well ahead of time so they can start watching the grocery ads and collecting activity ideas. Include where to meet, times, who's driving, suggested attire, what they need to bring, and how many to plan for.

*The grandkids get their own invitation for the Grandkids Christmas Day Camp.