The best day of the year

It amazes me that one minute you can be a newly-married couple, trying out traditions almost randomly and feeling sort of like someone's going to stop you any minute and tell you aren't authorized to make those sorts of weighty decisions, and dragging your little babies and kids along with you because they're pleased with everything and don't know any better—

—and the next minute you are going into the Christmas Season with all the weight of years and authority behind you, and eight little people convinced that THUS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN and THUS IT SHALL ALWAYS BE.

I mean, how could we know we would create a whole world—culture, holidays, traditions, language—along with our family? And half the time we didn't even know we were doing it! And yet—now here we are.

The Butterscotch Roll Party started innocently enough. I liked making Nana's butterscotch rolls and delivering them to friends on Christmas Eve. But we were always frantically trying to plate them and deliver them fast enough, and then feeling bad when people weren't home and we had to leave the rolls on a cold doorstep, and lamenting to each other how they really tasted best warm and it was a shame people wouldn't taste them at their peak. And so it came to us that we could make our friends come to us instead.

Thirteen or fourteen years later—I don't recall exactly—and we can't imagine doing it any other way. I made 24 dozen rolls this year (good heavens, I just did the math and that is 288 rolls!) and enjoyed every minute of it. Oh, don't get me wrong, our Christmas Eves are not perfect days, any more than any of our days are. This year before everyone came over, I was in tears over an argument with a child who shall remain nameless—there was mess and noise and chaos as there always is—but there is just something about the day that wraps me up and makes me feel blessed and grateful and good. I've had one terrible Christmas Eve in my life. One of my very lowest points. But even then, the Savior was there. And I suppose every Christmas Eve since then reminds me of mercy and repentance and second chances—and I can't NOT rejoice in the goodness of God.

So, I wake up at 5 a.m. and I bake rolls all morning and I love it—I absolutely love it. People come and eat joyfully—I love to see people eating joyfully—and the house is warm and full of good smells and noise and laughter and children and food. And when it's all over I lie down and have the best nap of my life.

The girls have been getting up early to help me the past few years (this year they had begged me to put their hair in curlers again after they'd had them on Sunday, so they were cute and curly when they appeared in the kitchen) and Abe is always a tireless worker getting the house clean (and, which may be harder, getting OTHER people to clean too). Sam makes wassail and cuts up apples and cheese. We are like a well-oiled machine.

Someone made one of my bowls of dough into an elephant!

Here are some rolls ready to eat as the party begins! The platters never look this nice again—but no one minds. :)

And when it's all over, they look like this!

We used to always make tacos for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Dinner, which was good, because I could put meat in the crock pot and have it ready by evening. But the past several years we have been just buying a bunch of side dishes from Cafe Rio—rice, beans, meats, guacamole—and then everyone makes their own customized meal from those. We love it—and it's so easy, even easier than the crock pot—and I don't have to make tortillas or anything! And we usually have leftovers for the day after Christmas too.

Goldie was so proud of how nicely she made and arranged her quesadilla.

And then after dinner we have our Elf Olympics, led by Sam-ta, of course.

Sam always sets us working on difficult design problems. This year he had us designing a more "up-to-date" suit for Santa, among other things.

I kept getting distracted by this little Wandering Elf. Ziggy is the only one of our children that hasn't immediately and vehemently wanted the hat OFF of his head! In fact, when the hat did fall off, he brought it back to me and made querying noises until I put it back onto him!

This is "Load Santa's Sleigh"—which is really just the Sock Game in disguise. Do you know the Sock Game? Someone tries to throw all the socks out of the laundry basket while everyone else tries to throw them all IN. Simple, yet so wildly competitive! :) We use stuffed animals in this version.

After reading the Christmas Story and singing, the kids open each others' presents. Seb drew Teddy's name this year, and he made him a green velvet blanket, and a stuffed bunny to go with it, and a small blanket for the bunny, and a big rice bag and tiny rice bag (to heat in the microwave) for Teddy and the bunny. Teddy had the happiest face I've ever seen when he opened the package.

And then after that everyone is sleepy and excited and ready for bed. Or they get sent there, anyway, ready or not! :)

And then the house is quiet, except for whispering and giggling, and the tree lights glow, and everything feels so calm and cozy. Sam and I finish up all our preparations, and go to bed feeling excited and happy—and a little bit sad that the best day is over for another year.