Christmas Ponderings

Well, Christmas is almost over. All in all it was a good day. The kids all enjoyed their gifts, and so did Dave and I. Our Christmas this year was a bit scaled down compared to previous years. With the move and the new house, the funds were just not as available like they have been in the past. However, I don't think anyone was disappointed.

I fully expected to have some sort of family here for Christmas. Our last 8 Christmas' have been spent in England. I would have loved to have had more family to share the holiday with. Holidays are just not the same without family, ya know? It has been just the 5 of us for so long that this is the norm for the kids. I grew up with huge family gatherings for the holidays. The 6 of us, plus my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts and uncles (when they could make it). It was great. I really want my boys to experience that. That sense of family, the closeness, the bond, the fun, the craziness, the memories.

Dave and I have decided we want to have family for the holidays. We want our house to be the hub of celebrations. Of course, right now we live in Texas and most of our family lives in Missouri. We do have some family in Louisiana, Florida, and Oklahoma, but the majority is in Missouri. We do plan to eventually retire in Missouri, but that is going to be quite a while.

So, we are thinking about inviting everyone here for Christmas next year. My mom and Grandma. My sister and brothers, their wives and their kids. Dave's parents. Dave's brothers and their wives and kids. My Aunts and their husbands. Whoever wants to come can come. I'm thinking if everyone comes that would be 34 people total. Fifteen kids, nineteen adults, I think. LOL Who knows where they will all sleep, or sit. We figure if everyone brings sleeping bags for the kids and air mattresses, if they have them, we can fit everyone on the floor somewhere. :) Of course, there would need to be more table/eating space for everyone, but we were planning on getting some folding chairs and tables for camping anyway. Sounds like a ton of fun. At least I think it does. Sure, lots of planning would be involved, but heck we've got a year to do it, right? Yep, sounds like a plan. :)