It is tradition in the Hultink family to celebrate Christmas all together on Christmas Eve. Years ago we added to that tradition by making Christmas Eve a theme night...including the ever growing and competitive appetizer/dessert contest. The winner of the contest then gets to choose the theme for the next year and plan the night's events. Todd and I won last year....(At the movies was the theme....We made Snowberry Trifle with Maple crusted pecans....after the movie ELF...what clinched it for us was that Todd dressed as Buddy the Elf...yellow tights and all!)
This year we chose the theme...A Nostalgic Hultink Christmas. The night started with all 22 of us outdoors for a nativity walk. We read scripture, the kids placed pieces of the nativity together as we retold the story of Christ's birth. Then we ended at a spruce tree right outside mom and dad's front door with Todd saying a prayer as everyone hung ornaments with their name on it as a keepsake for Todd's folks. The rest of the night included Hultink Family Trivia...a hilarious walk down memory lane....a kids exchange including some retro candy from Uncle Dann and Aunt Tara (even candy cigarettes made the cut...come on...we all did that when we were kids!!!) After the kids all got snuggled in to watch a Christmas movie, the adults proceeded onward to the food contest. We had thrown in the idea of extra points this year for anyone who performed a song that had to do with their appetizer....We had Rudolph the Rednose Rain deer on a plate (grilled marinated Venison with jalapeno, wrapped in bacon and topped with the tomato for the red nose...absolutely incredible...and I don't eat deer!)....There was bacon wrapped water chesnuts in marinade accompanied by a hilarious song about the Hultink family to the tune of the MSU fight song sung by Brandon. There was marinaded cheese made into the Nativity Star....absolutely delicious! Mom and dad sung about their love of their family and fondue!! Mom had to start about 15 times until she could actually get it out.....so funny! Then the grand winners of the night....Partridge in a Pear tree....Mini pears stuffed with herbs and goat cheese, wrapped in bacon....(you would have thought that bacon was the theme this year!!!)....The thing that clinched it for Dann and Tara was the rendition of 12 days of Christmas sung about Dann's top 12 gifts ever...absolutely hilarious and creative. The night ended with our gift exchange. Every year it is different, so Todd and I chose a book exchange along with your favorite beverage to drink (favorite bookie to read while enjoying a schlukie in your favorite nookie so to speak). It was fun to see what books people brought and all the beverages that accompanied them. All and all an incredibly memorable night, one we will always remember!
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