DeFisher Family Christmas

Does Christmas really need to fall on the 24th or the 25th of December in order to be Christmas?

Some people think it does.

My family...does not. Christmas - celebrating with loved ones, catching up with one another, giving special gifts, and just enjoying one another's company - in our family happens on multiple occasions...not just on the Eve and Christmas Day.

In the past, Christmas was on Christmas Eve for my mom's side of the family. Our favorite memories were of Grandma Beauty's house full of all of our cousins, aunts, and uncles. We always had a blast playing in the garage and sitting around the Christmas tree waiting to open our presents. Santa came to Grandma's house every year. He knew that's where we would be and that's where he would leave our gifts. (I'm still in awe of my mom and dad being able to pull off such a feat!)

Our family is just getting too big and now that everyone is starting to have kids, we all want to build our own traditions and memories. So, Christmas with the DeFisher's is now in January.

For the past two years we have joined together to celebrate the holidays at a restaurant in Mentor, Ohio, where my Grandma Beauty lives. We rent out one of their banquet rooms - this year it landed on Saturday, January 2nd, which made it perfect for visiting both the Milazzo and DeFisher sides.

Trippy came too! She drove up with Mackie on Saturday morning.

she loved Grandma's backyard!

oh lord...here they go again!

OMG!!! proof that Kristen sat in the WAY BACK of the Tahoe...seriously this is breaking news...in all of her 28 years this is the FIRST time!

family!
Mackenzie, Aunt Basi, Jen, Noah, Meg, me, Mike

Meem kissing on McKenna

favorite cousins!

Lizzie & Nick

Erin & Amanda

Hallie and her big smile!
(she is Nick & Amanda's 1 year old)

pretty Lizzie

aren't my sisters gorgeous?!

can never have too many pictures of Mackenzie, right Puggie??

laughing...looking huge

cream puffs!

;)

Grandma Beauty & Lizzie

Mom wearing Noah's Indiana Jones hat

Lizzie, Aunt Sylvia, Aunt Malo, and me

Mom, Jake, Kris, Nick

Lizzie going in for a smooch

Rachel, Dad, Noah watching a video of my cousin Rick in Iraq

Wendy, Mike, Mom, Uncle Ba, Uncle Jeff, Pete

Grandma, Uncle Butch, Kris, Kreso, Erin, Amanda

Aunt Basi, Aunt Malo, Lizzie, Mom, Aunt Sylvia

Mackie and her godfather, Uncle Jeff

Indiana Jones...ahem...I mean Dad

Meem got McKenna her first Rainbow Brite doll!

Mackenzie & Aidan

me and my godmother, Aunt Malo

Uncle Jeff, Grandpa Craig, Uncle Ba, Dad

Mackie went and got me decaf! She's always been sooo good to me!

me with my girl, Hailey Rachel

Julie & Julia

another Indiana...the hat looks good with the beard

thank goodness they're so cute!

Mackenzie's canks in Lizzie's shoes...doesn't it look like a nub?! haha!

me & Hallie

Another holiday season wrapped up. It was as wonderful as always. I can't wait to share all of these special memories with my special one. She'll be here before you know it. I can't wait.

I hope that each and every one of you were able to enjoy the holiday season with the ones you hold near and dear to your heart. I wish you all the best in 2010.