A Weekend Full of Christmas Cheer - Old and New

There is something about tradition that makes the Christmas season come alive. We love the family traditions our families have set and as each Christmas passes, we are trying to begin traditions of our own. This weekend was a great mix of both- a little something for everyone, if you will.

Last year, Matt's friends hosted a Christmas party that turned into a dance party (for some of us). Hence the birth of the Christmas Dance Party.

I think the haircut was a nice compromise between trim and chop. I tend to get carried away in the chair. Blonder! Shorter! But, I digress...

While there wasn't as much dancing, this year's party provided fun with a taser gun and my first experience with deer sausage. In no particular order.

After a full day of baking Sunday (more on that later), we headed to Matt's sister and brother-in-laws for the Bowman/Searson Christmas. These two families have gotten together for dinner and gift swaps every Christmas since they were little. Now that all the kids are married, there are six families at our annual get together. I'm sure there's a country song that would describe this perfectly.

Sister did a wonderful job hosting. I love seeing everyone's serving pieces and trying new dishes. If Matt didn't hate olives, this dirty martini dip would be a staple. Olives and cream cheese? Yes, please!

Matt's sister married into an Italian family, so we were excited she was making their lasagna recipe! Fun fact - did you know Italians put a hard boiled egg in their sauce? Brother-in-law didn't know any different until he went to the Olive Garden at the age of 15 and asked where the egg was.

The hosts!

All the cheer made 5:45 come too early. Luckily, we had the foresight to snatch up the gingerbread latte creamer at Publix Friday night (yes-we are that exciting). Let the cheer continue!