Christmas Eve

Every Christmas Eve the Mechams who are in town get together for gyoza. Gyoza is a yummy Japanese food (like pot stickers, but better) that we make from scratch. Actually Jack and Lola make the inside stuff and we form a sort of conveyor belt to make the gyoza. Things got started a lot later than planned, but it was worth the wait. The cousins got to play and the adults got to play, too. I learned a fun new game. Every person playing has enough small sheets of paper to equal the number of people playing. (7 players=7 pieces of paper) On the top paper, everyone writes a creative sentence--it's better if you are descriptive. Then the pile is passed on the the person sitting next to you. They read what you wrote, put the piece at the bottom of the pile, and draw a picture of what you wrote. Then you pass the pile on again. The next person sees a picture and they have to write what they see. Then you pass it on again and either write what the picture is or draw what was written until you get your pile back. Everybody should be doing the same thing only they are seeing different words and pictures. At the end you read what is in your stack and share the pictures. Some FUNNY things get said and drawn.

After dinner we shared the service project with Jack and Lola. Christy made a cute video with pictures and stuff the kids said. Then Jack and Lola shared their gifts for the grand-kids (and their kids/kids-in-law). Lola embroidered pillowcases for the kids and then used them to wrap up their favorite box of cereal. She also included money.





This is one of my favorite events of the season. I look forward to it and so do the kids and it's extra nice when out of town aunts and uncles can come--none this year. :(