Joy

I know I say this every year, but this was the best Christmas I have ever had. This year was much like the last. Christmas Eve my Grandma, Mom and Dad came over for our traditional dinner of chili and tamales. The hunt was on for one of the best places to buy tamales in Dallas, since Ryan and I are huge connoisseurs. I found an article online that listed what they believed to be the best 5 tamale makers in Dallas. I picked a place called Luna's Tortilla Factory since it was the closest to my office and conveniently on my way home. They were the best tamales I have ever eaten. I highly recommend them!

Also this year we made some wheat pasta to put under the chili since my Grandma isn't a big fan of tamales. She loved it. To be honest, we all did. I think that pasta has officially become a part of the tradition. I also made this cool, cheese ball snowman. It was fairly easy to make and, for once, it actually turned out looking like the picture on the Martha Stewart website. A Christmas miracle indeed!

The family left our house fairly early so that we could all get some rest before Christmas the next day.

This is the second year that I have worked on making my Christmas presents a work of art. I think I outdid myself this year. I used silver, glittery letters to represent each person. I thought this made the packages elegant and refined. I got many compliments and may have found a winner of a way to wrap for many years to come.

Christmas was a lovely day of opening presents with the family, listening to Christmas music, and enjoying some more great food. Although, it isn't really ever about any of this. I am just glad to spend time with the people I love the most in the this world. You never know what tomorrow will bring, so I am always grateful for one more holiday with each of them.