Progressive Dinner

My yummy yummy cheeseball:
1 package soften cream cheese
1 package soften 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 can black olives finally diced
4 green onions finally minced
Smash together with a fork, form into a ball and enjoy.

My stinking cute family in front of our tree.

Cory, Kelli and Alleah

Mike, Donna, Brooke and Sean

All the grandkids.
Jaren, the joker.
He was the only one not giving a good face.
So this is what he gets, that goofy face posted all over my blog.

Can we squeeze in one more tradition? Well, we have too. Cause it's a tradition. According to Cory anyway. What Cory wants, Cory gets. I'm glad he insisted that we carry on this tradition that he remembers from his youth in California. I'm sure Brent remembers them as well, but he's just not as vocal about it as Cory.
This year we started at our house for Appetizers. With all the other cooking that I had been doing I wanted to do something simple. So a homemade cheese ball it is. It was simple and it was delicious. According to me anyway. I also ended up making the rolls from scratch and they were phenomenal. No really, they were. I don't know what I did differently this time, but they were really good.
After our house we traveled to Cory and Kelli where they had prepared a delicious salad of spinach and fresh strawberries. It made me ache for spring and the wonderful vegetables and fruits that come along with that blessed season.
Our last stop was Mike and Donna's. There we dined on a Honeybaked Ham, my fresh rolls, twice baked potatoes(good job Kelli), and some frozen corn and peas(always a staple at the Wood's gatherings).
We also opened gifts, ate dessert and played some games. All in all it was a great night. A wonderful way to end Christmas.

Christmas this year was jam-packed full of wonderful acitivities, traditions(old and new) and of course drama. As I reflect on all that I did this year with the family I feel like something was lacking. The more I thought about it the more Service came to mind. We didn't serve enough this season. I really feel like that is the true spirit of the Christmas. Giving of ourselves to serve others. Then and only then do we really feel the spirit of Christ in our lives. He lived his life in service. And what better way to honor Him, then to serve others. Of course we don't just serve each other during Christmas time. I hope next season I can change the focus of our Christmas to service. Service to our family, friends and neighbors.

What did you do this year to feel the real spirit of Christmas?