Family Christmas, part three

I'm doing a little bit of catch-up since it's already New Year's Eve, but I couldn't leave the rest of our Christmas out out the blog.

We drove up to Atlanta last Monday to begin our Christmas break and got into town in record time - only 6 hours and 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I have had a cold for the last week and a half, so it was a rather sniffly visit (one of my sisters was also sick) but still relaxing. Ryan and I both had to work on Tuesday, so I just logged in from my parent's house and worked on some projects to pass the day. Then we went over to Kelly and Lincoln's house for a delicious tortellini soup dinner (thanks to Alex, the chef in the family) and some quality "Pass the Pigs" game time.
For Christmas Eve, my dad, Lincoln, Ryan and I hit the courts for a mean tennis match and I am proud to say my dad and I won! It felt good to be running around since I haven't been back to the gym since the wedding (oops). Then we got all dressed up and went to Mt. Pisgah for Christmas Eve service. Once we got back home, we played "sets and runs", a card game passed down from my Italian relatives, while dinner was prepared. We had our traditional shrimp and pesto pasta, a Christmas Eve staple for the past 14 years (which we discovered in my mom's 'Christmas Memories' book). Then it was present time. We typically give all of the sibling gifts that night so Christmas morning is left to whatever Santa brings. We also get a new pair of pajamas to sleep in that night, which has also been a tradition since I can remember. I was so glad Ryan got to take part in all of our little traditions for the first time!
On Christmas day, we waited for Kelly and Lincoln to drive back from their house before spending a long, lazy morning opening gifts. We took a break for our yummy egg souffle and blue berry muffins (with the crumbly topping), also a tradition, before finishing up. Everyone was very generous and I received so many lovely things! My new hubby bought me the iPhone and his gift was a new flat screen TV for the bedroom, so it was a techie Christmas for each of us.
After the gift giving, the boys wanted a rematch so my dad and I took to the courts again and, again, beat them in a close match.

After we got back home and cleaned up, my aunt, uncle and cousin came over for dinner and to hang out. Our Christmas dinner is something I look forward to every year - beef tenderloin stuffed with spinach and red peppers with twice baked potatoes. Yum! Alex spent the two days before creating a masterpiece of a cake, which we all enjoyed for dessert along with homemade cheesecake. Needless to say, I was stuffed!

After spending the day after Christmas hanging out and relaxing, we got all packed up and drove back to Orlando on Saturday. It was a wonderful holiday, the perfect first Christmas, and I loved sharing it with the people I love most!