Every year Gene & I make the same mistake.  We don’t grab the camera until the gifts are pulled out.   Which really makes no sense to me because I enjoy the food as much as the gifts. (Mullets take food very seriously)  So year after year I have picures of gift-giving at the Esh Christmas as if that’s all we do all day.  That’s not true, we do many things.

First thing we do: Race through the food line like it is a marathon with a 500 dollar prize at the end.  Ok not everyone, mostly just the children, but remember there were 31 of them.  When I first joined this crazy wild family I hung back and nicely let everyone go first.  Not anymore!  When the “Amen” was said I pounced on the food line before the food was even put out.  Ran it to Elena who was sitting at the children’s table waiting.  Now what I like about this family is I just set Elena down with the other 2-4 year olds and let them eat by themselves.  The six year olds made so much noise that she was entertained just watching and occasionally putting some of food in her mouth.

Next: The adults file through in a more orderly fashion.  Then we sit around tables and eat and talk.  Now I usually pray that some kind of interesting debate/discussion/argument is brought up about politics/moral dilemmas/current events because it is just so interesting when the Esh family has a discussion like that.  It’s my favorite part.  But this Christmas my table discussed the price of land in Lancaster, which is a yawner. 

Next:  Dessert.  Now I seriously think I am the only Esh that actually eats the dessert.  The rest just look at it I guess.  I mostly saw people eating fruit.  And fruit is technically not a dessert.  So I just kept stealing the “finger-licken good brownies” when I thought nobody was watching. They were really awesome too; I could steal quite a few, because well, everyone else was eating fruit.

Next:  By now children have a coup and demand gifts.  And this is when Gene or me pulls out the camera. And year after year we have pictures like this:

I had a tough time picking out which photo to post.  On the left you have the chandelier hanging down and waay across the room you can see about three peoples faces.   If I were to point out who everyone is on the right picture it would go like this:  L-R Me(the white veiled head) perched in the corner because the Eshes make me shy. Jesse, behind the post, Michelle, behind Jesse, Brian, behind Michelle, Krissy half or her invisible because of the light, etc etc

Here is Brandt getting his gift.  He is the Esh head in the center of the other Esh heads.  
I know he is thrilled with his gift because he said “ga ga” or maybe it was ” pplllbby”, but either way it means
he was thrilled.

Here is Elena & her cousin with the front-packs Gene’s mom made for them.  Elena was delighted with it
I think she wore it all day.  Notice I said think that’s because I really don’t know what she did all day.  I’m assuming if their was a big hullabalew I would have found out about it.

 
Grandpa reading to four kids from four families.

 
  Elena with her cousin.  Last year they fought all day long, but this time around they were best
buddies.  Again, I think they were best buds, since their were no teethmarks, black-eyes, or blood. 

This is where the pictures end.  The rest of the day the boys do manly things like play football in short sleeves, and the girls do girly things like take walks all budled up in our winter coats.  Then we eat supper (go back to The First thing we do)

Oh, by the way when we leave it’s an all out cleaning party with all available grandchildren.  The sweeper is drug out and the carpets that are now crunchy, are swept up.  The 2-6 year olds blame the 1 year old babies for the crunchy carpets.  Then people leave with various items that belong to other families.  It’s a big family, but we have a lot of fun. 

So, how was your Christmas?