Christmas Eve

Well, all the excitement has died down here.  We had E's whole family in for Christmas, and despite some really cold weather, and lack of beds, we had a great time!  We did quite a bit of sightseeing, but I think we had some of the best times just hanging around the house.  Here are a few pictures of Christmas Eve.  

 

Aunt EJ, N, and Uncle E decorating Christmas cookies.  I think N looks just a little like his uncle!  Strong jeans...

Little e just loves a camera... 

 

N was all about "sprinkling" the cookies, but little e was way into the red hots.  I think this particular reindeer had like 17 red hots in it by the time he was done.  I think it came down with a nasty case of the measles or something!

Later we went to the children's Christmas Eve service at Ely Cathedral (built in the 11th century...  An 11th centry cathedral for Christmas Eve!  I mean, how cool is that?)  Before the service N and Aunt EJ check out the giant Christmas tree inside the cathedral.  It was my first time inside, and the scale is amazing.  

Because it was a children's service, the kids were invited to come sit on the floor in front of the alter where a little nativity play took place... complete with a live donkey!  A donkey in church.  N was a little leary of sitting up front with all the other kids, so he happily sat with his aunt on the pews, but little e was all about sitting up front where the action was!

Here we are outside after the service.  

Then it was home for Chistmas Eve dinner (yum!)  Where I found out that British sausages do make a nice substitute for the potato bologna I grew up with...  I made my family's traditional Swedish Christmas Eve dinner... well, without the lutefisk and fruit soup.   Eeeewww.  

Then it was time to leave Santa some cookies.  N really seemed to grasp the Santa thing this year, and it was fun to play with it, while still trying to emphasize the true meaning of Christmas.  N picked out one of these cookies for Santa, and the other for the reindeer.  We told him that usually the reindeer prefer a carrot, but he thought they would enjoy a cookie more.  We had to admit, that his logic was pretty sound!

Christmas morning pictures will arrive at a later point...