July 6, 2021

{Christmas Eve 2013}

As you all know from the past several years, our family really loves celebrating Christmas Eve in style. (see herehere, and here) We start by planning and picking out new food ideas.  Then we purchase any ingredients not already in our kitchen.  And the day of, we start the cooking- and is it ever a party! (for Mitchell’s perspective on the evening, visit here)
cutest little cook EVER!!!!  
Mitchell helped Hudson with the food he made.  Or Huds helped Mitchell?  Or something.:)
Mitchell getting advice from an expert (that would be Mother.)
Of course Rebecca helped me make chocolates.
Mother didn’t actually “make” anything this year.  She just ladled out lots of advice and help to those who needed it.  And she contributed a veggie platter, which we definitely needed.:)
This guy can really cook-just sayin’.  Actually, all “my guys” (that would be the fabulous six brothers) can really cook.  They make some lip-smackin mean-good food every Christmas Eve.
dark chocolate turtles in process
Taylor hard at work on his potatoes.
Fillin’ mushrooms.
The kitchen- the center of activity for the day.
one of the many expressions of Liz, apparently.:)
a reminder of why we celebrate
Chels wore her “Kiss the Cook” apron.  It’s so super fun to wear (I steal it sometimes) because these two adorable little men love to take it literally.:)  
Chels decorated the table beautifully with a black and white theme- very classy.
Josh usually makes something delicious and Mexican.  This year he didn’t dissapoint with his delicious black bean-onion-cheese dip stuff that was so flavorful and yum.
Rebecca’s hairstyle for the evening.
Chels made a delicious drink concoction of some sort that we all loved alot.  There was and is no recipe, but I think she put in lemon juice, grape juice, and sparkling water, among other things.  Oh, and she made some yummy “jalapeno popper” sandwhich things that were pretty yummy, too.
Ok, so, funny story.  A day or so before the event, while discussing food for Christmas Eve, Carson casually mentioned that even though he usually does fried onion rings or shrimp, he was thinking about doing something completely different this year.  And straightforwardly there errupted loud and decided protests from various family members about how he simply MUST make fried shrimp.  Hence, he is seen below frying shrimp.  The end.:)
Elizabeth’s hair.
lovely place settings
The table, laden with all things delicious.
The family.
We always eat in candlelight.
//Black bean/onion/corn/cheese Mexican dip by Josh//
//Jalepeno popper sandwhiches by Chelsy//
//Peanut Clusters, Peppermint/Dark Chocolate covered Pretzels, and Dark Chocolate Turtles- first and last by Allison, pretzels by Elizabeth//
//Twice Baked Potato Skins by Taylor//
//Cheese Sticks (or Cheese Drips, or Cheese Flips, or whatever since they weren’t very “stickish”:) by Elizabeth//
//Vegetables by Mother//
//Jalepeno Mushroom Quasodillas by Denver//
//Stuffed Mushrooms by Denver//
//Fried Shrimp by Carson//
//Spinach Artichoke Dip by Mitchell and Hudson//
//Salami/Fresh Mozzarella/Tomato Skewers by Allison//
And after all the cooking and eating were over, we watched a movie together, and ended the night by (most of us:) sleeping on the living room floor.  It was a lovely day, full of memories we will cherish in years to come.  
“O come let us Adore Him CHRIST the Lord.”
How thankful we are that Jesus Christ came to earth to set us free.  His love is far greater than any earthly love, His grace and redemption worth more than the costliest gift.  


Tags

christmas, christmas eve, family, food, home, memories


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Leave a Reply
  1. Hello to all of the Bontragers,
    The food looks rly yummy! Was it? One of my Christmas presents was the newest cd u all did and I love all of the songs. My fav is The Battle Belongs to The Lord!
    In Christ,
    Lexi

  2. Hi Anonymous-
    We alternate every other year- going to Grandma's house with my Dad's family one year, and having a celebration (usually inviting some friends who don't have plans) at our house the next year. This was the year to go to Grandma's house, and we had quite a party.:) Watch for a post on that coming soon.
    We don't usually do a Christmas tree.:)
    Hello Lexi!
    Yes, we enjoyed the food tremendously! How fun that you got our cd- so glad you're enjoying it!!!
    blessings,
    Allison

  3. Glad u enjoyed the food. It was funny my grandma asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said money. Well a few days after that I emailed my mom and said I want 2 cds( one was by u all and one is by the Wissmann), I also wanted a tie die iPod case, and Mekanna the American girl movie! So I got all of those at r family Christmas party!
    Allison what did u get 4 Christmas? On Christmas Day I got 8 new scarves, a new sweater, a new coat, money, gift cards, and candy! My baby doll named Googie boy got 5 outfits from Santa and a letter from Santa!
    In Christ,
    Lexi

  4. Hi Lexi!
    It sounds like you got some lovely things for Christmas. How sweet of your mother to get those cd's for you! We actually don't usually do Christmas presents.:)
    Love,
    Allison

  5. Actual my grandma gave me one cd and my uncle/aunt got me the other one. Why don't u all do Christmas presents? For me the whole reason for Christmas is the birth of Jesus. I think as Christians we shouldn't think bout the birth of Jesus just around Christmas but we should think if it all throughout the year!
    In Christ,
    Lexi

  6. Yum that food all sounds and looks so good. Would you share how you make the Jalepeno popper sandwhiches sometime? I would love to try them.:)
    I loved seeing all of the pictures.
    🙂

  7. It looks like you all had a grand ol' time together! How fun. 🙂 Merry {late} Christmas to each of you from the Turner family. Mind if I ask what movie you chose to watch?

  8. Hi Salinn!
    I'll mention it to Chels- maybe she can post the recipe sometime.:)

    Dear Lexi & Anonymous-
    We do lots of presents at birthdays, so we don't usually do them at Christmas. It makes things so much simpler.:) Neither of my parents grew up with Christmas trees, so it wasn't a big deal to them. I think they have gotten a tree a few times over the years, but usually not. We certainly don't feel like we're missing out on anything, because we have such wonderful Christmas traditions like the big Christmas Eve dinner.:)

    Alison!
    Of course you can ask! We watched part of "Anne of Green Gables". We don't watch movies as a family very often, so it was special.:)

    Happy New Year to you all!
    Allison

  9. So fun! Love this idea and all of the food looks scrumptious, as always! And I'll say it again – {LOVE} how vibrant your family's kitchen is – so many encouraging conversations, delicious food, and simply full of life. It's one of my very favorites. =) And, haha, love the kiss the cook picture. 😉 So glad you all had a blessed, memorable Christmas – we're so grateful for your family and for all of the fun 2013 memories made with you all. =) Blessings!

  10. Hi Lexi!
    Sorry, I'm quite behind in responding to emails! Maybe you'll be getting an email from me in the next few weeks, though.:)
    blessings,
    Allison

  11. What a fun tradition! It reminds me of our family's annual Christmas tea. Thanks for all the pics! Looking forward to seeing ya'll next week!!! 🙂

  12. I know this is an old post but all of the food looked great!! What do all of ya'll do for thanksgiving? We go to our church's dinner/pot luck/fellowship the week before thanksgiving and then we have a great meal at home on actual thanksgiving and then we go to see the plaza lighting seremony. We live in KS so we have a lot to do during thanksgiving time because Ks gets big into it!! So any ways what do you do on thanksgiving and what do you do on chrismas day

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