Christmas Recap #1 - Dysfunctional Family Christmas *Collage Style*

Merry Christmas, and all that bag of chips! I apologize so much for my lack of blogging, but I needed a blogging vacation/break. It has a been a wonderful week of family, holidays and traveling! I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season so far!!! The Stribling fam traveled three times over the holidays: once to Knoxville, once to Waverly, and then back home to Nashville. So, I am breaking up my recap into three posts. We are doing it collage style because there are LOTS of pictures, and lemme tell ya, these are just tipping the camera. I have many many more, lol. I don't  know why I take so many, because I dread editing so many, many of these pictures!!

Christmas #1 - what we in the Prater house call the "Dysfunctional Family Christmas". We meet at my Aunt Clara's house in Knoxville (Farragut). My cousins come up and its a big family tree of dysfunctional fun! We eat a big dinner and have a wonderful time of talking, laughing and boozing :)

Some fun things:

- My Aunt Clara is a pianist. So every year after dinner, we sit in the living room and she plays Christmas music on the piano and we all sing along. Its a life long memory we cherish.
- When we were younger, My Uncle Everett would dress up as Santa Claus for us kiddos. This year, my cousin Benjamin dressed up for "now" our kids! It was super funny and super special. My cousin Seth has two kids as well.
- We had people that came in from Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Colorado, and Texas. A big gathering!

Ella was the best babysitter ever - Aunt Clara and Jules on the piano - Me and Josh - Jake, Jules, and Santa! - Josh wasn't too sure of this "Santa" - the three sistas with Santy and the babes - Me, Les, and cousin Melly - ths three crazy boy cousins: Benjamin, Jonathan, and Seth - les and the elf - Ginny and Jules - Dad and Josh - Josh finally making friends - The annual pic - the three girls and the three boys :)