Bethlehem Dinner

This is the second year we've had a special dinner on Christmas Eve.  Another idea I got from a family I knew in Dallas.  We attempted to dress like and eat as the people of Israel would have 2000 years ago.  (I know we're waaaaay off)

Of course Christmas Eve is a crazy time for parents, right?  And of course we (should I say "I") procrastinated making our gifts from the heart until Christmas Eve day, so the house was a wreck, we had company coming, and I had yet to make the dinner.  So our outfits definitely left something to be desired (ha, just check out our "sashes"-- old tights, we have plenty of those).  And I didn't comb any one's hair, either.  But it was the thought that counted.

Again the kids and I made this bread together.  It's not as hard as it looks and they loved helping me braid it.  And man alive, that stuff is good.  (I linked to a recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but I used a recipe from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)  In a way, it was nice to have a mini-cultural lesson aside from the Christmas thing altogether.

I was really nervous about asking guests to sit on the floor and eat with their hands.  But they were very good sports.  And my kids just loved sitting on the floor and eating with their hands for once!  And I shut off the lights and lit a few candles, and they loved that too. Christmas gets so crazy with all the things that start to seem like must-haves.  Including the fancy tree and presents.  Yet sitting on the floor, eating basic food with our hands, remembering the humble circumstances surrounding what I want my kids to see as the real reasons for our celebrating Christmas (this is just my family!  Christmas can mean different things to different people, or maybe your family celebrates Hanukkah or Kwanzaa).  It brought the simplicity home.  And that special Christmas feeling sunk into all hearts.  And it brought so much into perspective-- just how much we have to be thankful for.  (we joked that at least we weren't sitting on a dirt floor outside!)

When we were finished we watched these beautiful Luke 2 videos. 

Things got really quiet and a little more somber, for lack of a better word.  I knew they were thinking.  The Spirit of Christmas was really strong and quiet.

We exchanged our little handmade gifts.

 And we topped it off by having pie and milk in the kitchen.

O Holy Night.

This dinner was my idea, my husband is supporting me by making sure people feel authentic.  If a brown or pink towel make you feel authentic.

It's a good thing I'm taken, or I'm sure they'd be knockin' down the door about now after seeing me in this photo.

 My father-in-law graciously accepted the task of making this dish.  Probably much more "authentic" than I would have.  He is a great cook-- it was yummy.

 Huh!  Didn't notice Bob Cratchit carrying his little Tiny Tim in the bottom of this photo until now.  Perfect for Christmas Eve dinner.

 Paper plates extra authentic, too.

 And a little boy who is much more interested in cup stacking than dinner.  Maybe the tights around his waist have affected his appetite.