Allen Family Christmas 2016

What a perfect day! Christmas itself had been perfect at Kat and Pat's with Peighton and Phoebe. Kat had prepared a beautiful Christmas Eve Feast done with raclettes, which I had only been exposed to at a cooking class at Now You're Cooking. What a wonderful way to make a meal extra special. Christmas with them was just great. The girls were SO excited Christmas Eve, but went to bed pretty well with a cautionary note that Santa would not come if they were not asleep. They arose bright and early anxious to awaken Nana and Gran so everyone could get downstairs to see if Santa had come. Would the cookies and milk and the carrots for Rudolph be gone???? Yes, they were... stockings were filled and there were mountains of presents under the tree. We had lobsters for Christmas dinner just like old times. 
Allen Family Christmas was the very next day. Erica and Casey were off to NYC for New Year's so
the girls and their families were all wonderful enough to agree leave their cozy homes and come to the Lodge so Allen Family Christmas wouldn't end up being in mid-January! They all brought food, which we pumped out all day long. The children were just amazing. I had worried they might be tired and a bit cranky after the activities of the past two days, but they were just wonderful. Little Eleanor seemed to take it all in and you could almost see her dreaming of next year when she too would be right in the middle of it all!
Top picture: soon we may need a wide lens camera to fit us all in. Next: the Lodge tree and the Pub tree Next: we took Avery and Lawson to Gardens Aglow Next two: and presents for all!