Santa, Reindeer and an Early Christmas!

We went to see Santa on Saturday at the Bath Garden Center, and we were very lucky because he brought a few of his reindeer with him.  Jordyn had never met reindeer before, so she was very excited...and they were friendly too!

The atmosphere was wonderful...gorgeous poinsettias for sale in every color...free popcorn and cider...

 lovely Christmas music performed by some of the high school students in the area...

 and of course, SANTA!

 She had a nice long conversation with Santa...she showed him her new teeth and her necklace from the tooth fairy...she asked about the reindeer...and then she told him what she wanted for Christmas...Little Pet Shop Pets and a Creepy Doll (Monster High Doll).  Then, after a big hug, it was time to head over to Uncle Dave and Aunt Lisa's house for an early Christmas dinner with the family.

 With families being spread out and numerous, we decided to have an early holiday get-together.  All of the men in this family like to cook, so the ladies kicked back while the guys prepared the feast!  The meal was fabulous!  Stuffed pork, mashed potatoes, spinach and artichoke casserole, cranberry casserole, broccoli with hollandaise sauce, salad and of course lots of pie for dessert!

 After the feast, it was time to run off some of that energy...at least for the kids!  The adults sat around sharing stories, wine and laughter! 

 Then it was time for the infamous grab bag!  Basically, everyone brings a bunch of junk and wraps it up for a grab bag.  There may be a few quality items in the pile, but most of them are cheesy and hilarious.  You can either pick from the pile, or steal from someone who has already opened a gift.  Regardless of what you end up with, the whole point of the grab bag is to bring us all together for laughter and story telling.  We reminisce about grab bags from the past...a particular item that seems to haunt the grab bag year after year...and the fun that it brings!

 When we run out of presents in the pile, we have a speed round at the end...for two minutes, we take turns stealing items from others (ex: if someone steals from you, then you get to steal from someone else, and so on)...this year, the CD player, a jar of pickles, the Lottery Troll, and a fireplace lighter were hot items....none of which i went home with :(

 I can happily say that i didnt end up with last years broken up ginger bread house or these saucy tank tops and a crazy straw! 

What i did take home...were some wonderful memories, left over pie, a bag of sillyness and a camera filled with hilarious moments!  Happy Early Christmas Everyone!