Christmas

Christmas was amazing. Simply put. It was great getting to be home with my family and just relax. Possibly what made it even more rewarding was working at the food bank prior to Christmas and seeing all the people who were able to have a Christmas dinner thanks to hard work of the food bank staff, volunteers and donors.

On Christmas eve my Mom was in charge of the Christmas Pageant at the 4:10 mass and my sister Hannah was the narrator (she did a fantastic job if I must say so myself) so our family all went to that mass. I am always willing to help out at masses, so I ended up doing the sound board at that mass. It was a really great mass with a great but simply homily. It is so exciting to see the church all decorated and packed on Christmas Eve. You might be wondering why mass is at 4:10 it is because it actually takes place in the gym. The church has a mass that starts at 4 and once it fills up everyone comes to the gym. Some families just come to the gym every year for mass and do not even bother dealing with trying to find a seat in the church. Then our family came home and had a few family friends over for pizza. It tasted great to have Chicago pizza once again! Our family always enjoys going to the midnight mass  (actually at 10:30pm with a pre-concert at 9:30) so after dinner we went back for that mass. There is something very special about that mass. Mass ended right at 11:55. 

Christmas morning was spent at home with the family opening presents and having a nice family breakfast. After all that was finished we went to South Bend, Indiana to see my Dad’s extended family. Only my grandma lives in South Bend, but we all come there for Christmas. It was nice to see my cousins, aunts and uncles and grandma. For whatever reason part of me was just longing to be at home with my family though. Anyway it was fun and we had a great Christmas dinner.

The day after Christmas me, my Dad, uncle and cousin went to see the college football hall of fame before they moved it. It was a really neat place.  Below is a picture of my sisters and I. For Christmas my parents had been wanting pictures taken of the three of us kids so that is what we got them for Christmas.