Christmas Eve dinner has always been a tradition in my family that was made by reservation. Between Eli’s of Chicago to some of the fine dining chains here in Phoenix, my family was always treated out for dinner.

This year, Joy and I wanted to do something different. We wanted to make Christmas Eve dinner. Even before we sent out the invitations for the dinner, we spent many nights planning this out. Every detail needed to be precise to us. I believe we did a most restaurant-worthy job.

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Two weeks ago I heard that Mary Anne (Dan’s mom) was having the grandkids over her house to decorate gingerbread houses. Now for someone who’s not a Me-Too person and veers away from the usual, I heard my inner child say, “ME, TOO! ME, TOO!!!”

I’ve never had or made a gingerbread house in my entire life, but one’s never too old to try something new. Thankfully, Dan was kind enough to indulge me on my whim. After having the house up for a week, we finally decorated it the other night.

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