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Being a "broken" family has its advantages for my kids at Christmas. Tonight, Festivus, is Christmas Eve at my house. When the kids wake up in the morning, they will open presents here. They have several hours to chill at home goofing around with their gifts and then we spend Christmas Eve with my mom's extended family: My aunt & uncle and their 3 kids. This year, we have an additional fiance (who is with child). We alternate who hosts and this year it is my turn. I always used to make lasagna at my house only because it is really easy to prepare in advance and just put in the oven while the guests are here so I don't spend the whole time in the kitchen. This year my aunt offered to bring ham so I also bought a nice roast and I'm making green bean casserole, cheesy potatoes, cinnamon apples, rolls and a salad. They will leave around 9:30 or 10 pm usually, and then the kids will head to their dad's house for their second Christmas Eve/Christmas morning. At that point, I usually light a fire in the fireplace, pour myself a glass of wine, and veg on the couch watching movies with no lights on but the Christmas lights. Christmas day, I deal with the mess in the kitchen and go to my old neighbor's house to bring them cookies and hang out with them. They are very laid back and usually do something like a taco bar and then play group games like Trivial Pursuit, Apples to Apples, etc. My team always wins.
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