Visit from St. Nick

We thought we heard a sleigh landing on the roof...and we did! Santa Claus came early this year, to see if all the little DeBry kids were being naughty or nice. He reported that they were all mostly nice and gave each of them a present. It was one of my favorite traditions of the year: my Mom's side of the family gathering to celebrate Christmas. I have so many cousins, I don't see most of them often enough, and I don't get enough time to visit with them the few times we do get together. This party, we hired my niece, Lexie, and two of her friends to run a kids' camp in the basement. My mom amd I transformed the unfinished dungeon into a winter wonderland with trees, lights, craft centers and red tablecloths covering the walls. The kids loved hanging out down there, and I loved having them busy and supervised while the adults visited. The star of the show, as usual, was Santa. Xanthe has been working up to his visit all year, talking about how she's not going to head-butt him and collapse to the ground screaming this year. When Santa called her name, she bravely ran to him all by herself and sat happily on his lap. Now it's Golda and Ruby who resist the Santa visit! I'm so thankful for Nana and Opa, my grandparents who grounded this family in love that continues to unite us through distance and time. Cousins, aunts, uncles, I love ya! The "DeBry Party" can't come around often enough!