Christmas 2022: Christmas Dinner & Dirty Santa

Almost done with the Christmas posts! Horsey ones begin in a day or two (and do I ever have a doozy to share with you.)

As soon as the gift unwrapping was finished, everyone began getting Christmas dinner ready. Normally I am in charge and direct what needs to be done; this year, my family just jumped in and did it. Which was really welcome considering how scrambled I was feeling! 

With 22 people to serve, we set up 8 in the dining room and put two tables together in the living room (one of them my sewing table) which seated 14.  

Then, as soon as the food was ready, we corralled the kids from upstairs and got everyone seated. 

We did it!

Everyone had a seat at a table!

I smile every time I see this picture of Cole wearing my horsey apron. He used to have a modest collection and attended live shows with me when he was little.

After a MASSIVE clean up (food packed away, dishes scraped and washed, extra tables folded down and put away, dirty tablecloths and linens put in the laundry), we got ready for what many consider the most fun activity of the day - Dirty Santa.

How is Dirty Santa played? Everyone who wants to participate (the over 18s in our rules) brings a wrapped gift worth $20-$30 and puts it on a table in the center of the room.

There are no identifying marks on the packages so they are totally anonymous. And you absolutely can not tell ANYONE what you brought.

All the kids are shooed off to play upstairs. (Note to self, always look under the table before starting the game.)

Participants gather around the table and everyone draws a number. Whoever drew number 1 goes first and chooses a gift and unwraps it. That is their gift UNLESS someone coming after them steals it. 

Number 2 goes next and has a choice - steal number 1's gift, or choose another and unwrap it. Any gift can be stolen by any person until it has been retired by having been stolen twice. And if your gift is stolen, you get to steal someone else's gift or to choose another wrapped gift.

As you might imagine, it gets crazy and there is a lot of laughter. Having said that, this year, my brother's gift was one of the best we have ever had.

It had two greasy black bananas in a ziploc on top and did not get selected until nearly the end. But (most of) the other things in it were awesome! 

The mermen ornaments I got from Sarah were another winner, but Jessica stole them from me. (I still came out  okay - gourmet hot chocolate works for me!)

Boy howdy, that was a Dirty Santa that will be talked about for years in our family!

Next up? A final Christmas wrap up and then back to horses. Stay 'tooned!