Christmas has come and gone, and about a month later, I think we've all finally recovered...
We kicked off the season with our good friends' annual Christmas party.
 |
| Pre-Santa Claus |
 |
| Post Santa Claus |
 |
| Santa is slightly less scary with Mom and Dad for protection. |
2012 was an Ellis Christmas year and lucky for us, everyone agreed to gather in Houston!
And by everyone, I mean
- Adults: 2 parents + 9 kids + 7 spouses = 18 adults
- Grandkids: 5 + 5 + 4 + 2 + 5 + 2 + 1 = 24 grandkids
- Grandkids ages 5 and under = 14
- Total # of Ellises in Houston for Christmas = 42!
Highlights of Christmas:
- Half of us saw The Hobbit, the other half saw Les Miserables. The Les Mis crew then spent the rest of the trip bursting into spontaneous song...and luckily, many of our more talented singers were included in this group. Unluckily (for everyone else), so was I!
- Games, games, games, games, and more games. The Ellis Tournament Brackets were out in full force this year, with a record number of participants. At times we wondered how we would ever finish all of them, but a Christmas Miracle occurred, and we did. Not to brag or anything, but Rob was DEFINITELY the overall victor this year....which was a nice counterbalance to my less-than-stellar performance.
- Cousins, cousins, cousins, cousins, and more cousins! All of the kids were so happy to see each other and every day was a non-stop party.
 |
| Lily and the Linkous crew instantly bonded over TV |
- The Annual Nativity reenactment with Rachel, Conlon and sweet baby Jane as the main event
 |
| The newest member of the Ellis clan! |
- The magic of Christmas morning multiplied by a million
 |
Waiting to go downstairs
 |
| Stopping for the obligatory photo before the main event |
|
|
|
 |
| Presents everywhere! |
 |
| Sporting our Christmas Light earrings that match our PJs from Mama KK |
- Christmas PJs! 42 coordinating pairs of pajamas. Sewed and distributed before Dec. 1. My mother-in-law is AMAZING.
 |
| 24 Grandkids |
 |
| The Men |
 |
| The Women |
 |
| The Entire Clan, at Caitie's baptism |
Even though I'm sure there were times when we all wondered if this house could really hold THIS MUCH FUN without bursting at the seams, it was such a blessing to have the entire family together for Christmas. We are so grateful to have 42 family members (and counting) to love and to laugh with.
And I'm not making any predictions as to what our numbers will be the next time we're ALL together for Christmas, but I'm sure it will make this year look nice and cozy. I wonder who will be hosting that reunion? :)
