Christmas Eve Check List......

It's Christmas Eve!  Let's break out the traditional Gadow Ohana check list!  Check, check, check....

1.  Attend the candle light service at my church surrounded by my church family and friends who we love so much!  Let's listen to the children sing "Away in a Manger" while signing and then read from the Bible about the Christmas story.

2.  Be unbelievably proud as I watch my son play the guitar with the worship band.  He played "The First Noel" and "Silent Night".

3.  Bake some yummy chocolate chip cookies!  They must be fresh out of the oven to be deserving of the Santa offering.  Yes, chocolate chip cookies and "Christmas milk" (commonly known as egg nog to you non-Gadow people).

4.  A generous sprinkling of reindeer food around the front lawn.  This is a gourmet concoction of oats and glitter! 

5.  Last call for the Joy Stocking!  Final chance to get your last additions into our Joy Stocking is now!  What's that, you ask?  Well, click here to read about our family's favorite Christmas tradition!

5.  Bedtime prayers and chat time.  Just like every night, here is where we pray together as a family, thank the Lord for His blessings, and talk about what the next day will bring.  Tonight though.....we add in the "don't wake up Mommy and Daddy until....7:30 AM" reminder.

6.  Once Matthew is on lock down the stocking is filled and the gifts are laid under the tree.  Aha!  But, 2 gifts are hidden somewhere in the house.  Matthew likes to hunt for his gifts.  We play either "hot/cold" or I give him a riddle that will clue him into where it is hidden.

7.  Time to put baby Jesus in the manger!  Yup, the King is Born and now He can be put into the manger scene with His folks and pet lamb and donkey.  The wise men have moved a little bit closer to the manger now.  They have made it all the way to the coffee table!  Only  1 1/2 more years to go until they meet up with Jesus.

8.  Oh, looky-look!  It's only midnight and I get to go to bed!  *sigh* and visions of sugarplums danced in her head.....