Another year of Christmas parties has come and gone, and while it's always a bit sad for me to pack away the holiday decor and finish up the seasonal activities, it's always good to look back on all the festive fun we had with our families.
This year our first family party was with Joe's mom's side of the family.
Grandpa and Grandma with their four grand kids.
And what's a party without the great grand kids?
Joe with his mom, step dad and sister, Melissa.
And, of course, the first gifts of the season!
Claire's been awaiting this moment for weeks.
Grandma Rosen lends Henry a hand with his gift from Aunt Melissa.
Grandma shows Henry the Sesame Street blanket she
made for him. Henry loves Elmo lately.
Claire gives Grandma a thank you hug for her new doll,
who she has since named "Franny".
Our next family gathering was with my side of the family. Actually, it was more of a fiesta than a party. My sister, Kelsey, was home after studying in Spain for a semester. She'll be leaving this weekend to study in Israel for a month, so it was good to visit with her briefly and hear a bit about her travels.
She even prepared some traditional Spanish dishes for us. Ole!
And perhaps one of the cutest sights of the season:
Claire in her Spanish flamenco dress,
and Henry in his matador outfit, ready to fight some bulls.
Mom had prepared a game for the kids, which they enjoyed.
And we got a stash of "new" books and movies, which the kids love.
Claire with Sylvia and Kelsey (and kind of Henry), with the birthday
cake for Jesus, an annual Sternberg family tradition.
Claire and her cake.
Our family Christmas celebration is usually pretty simple. On Christmas Eve, the kids opened a few gifts from us. And this year my parents had taken the kids shopping to pick out gifts for us, so it was fun to open those. Henry had picked out a snow brush for Joe and some potpourri for me. Claire had picked out animal crackers for Joe and a colander for me.
Our annual family photo before opening gifts.
Henry opening a gift from a neighbor.
We have the best neighbors in the world!
After a nice service at our church on Christmas morning, the kids took naps, and then we headed over to celebrate Christmas day with Joe's dad's side of the family.
Here we are, deeply entrenched in our puzzle ball tournament.
I thought I was unstoppable...
But nope, Melissa came from behind to claim the final victory!
That's ok - I have ample opportunity to practice for next year's tournament!
It was also good to visit with extended family at the party.
Here Henry plays cars with cousin Zach, while Great Grandma watches.
Homemade Oh Henry! bars, one of the many delicious goodies
made for us as a Christmas gift. These won't last long!
