"The Stockings were hung on the Entertainment Center with care..."

This year was our first Christmas in our own house so we spent the night here. This was also the first year Marq & I have actually surprised each other with gifts, usually we pick all of our own gifts.

When we got home from my families party Marq left to go pick up my gift which he had been hiding at Grandma's house. Once he left I secretly slipped out and ran over to Tahna's house to get the gift that he had no idea I had been hiding there. I got home before he did and got all his gifts set out before he got back. I covered his presents with a blanket and went to bed so that he could set up my gifts.

Christmas morning came at 6am at our house. When I was little the rule on Christmas morning was that we had to wait for my dad to light the fire before anyone could come out into the family room. Since we don't have a fireplace Marq got up and lit all our of candles instead.

I got a sewing machine, clothes, perfume and lots of cool kitchen stuff for the new house.

Marq got a new propane heater for his new garage, a controller he is building for his car and some bike gear.

Christmas Eve at the Ovards

Ever since I can remember my family has had a big Christmas Eve party. My cousins, Aunts, Uncles & Grandparents used to come over and we would reenact the Nativity, we'd sing Christmas songs, eat dinner and of course open presents! As our family has outgrown all of our homes we eventually split up and now it is just my parents & siblings with all of their rugrats (which is still a big group). We still do the Nativity every year and every few years we get a real baby to play Jesus.

Christmas Eve always makes me miss my Grandpa Alan who used to read the Christmas Story from the Bible every year.