Family Tradition

Today was a special day for me. For the first time in 5 years, my extended family enjoyed an early Christmas. This is a family gathering that I look forward to each and every year, and this year was no different. The past few years, everyone has been so bust that we haven't been able to work our schedules out, but we made it happen this year! 

It was a day filled with southern food, cheesy jokes, lots and lots of pictures, and quality family time. I'm blessed to have such an amazing family that I actually enjoy hanging out with. ...except when my dad snores on the couch after a big dinner 

We always play a gift exchange game called White Elephant, with no gift exceeding $5. Gifts can get pretty creative and I'm always surprised to see what people can come up with. I brought a really cute collage photo frame, which did exceed the $5 limit. It was too cute to pass up and I knew someone would like it! A few of the gifts included scratch offs, power ball tickets (with a note attached that said "Winnings exceeding $1,000 must be split with family in the room"), a throw blanket, bags of candy, coasters, and candles. I was really surprised to see some gifts that were worth having, with a $5 limit. 
Side note: I am a throw blanket junky and I was soooo excited when I laid eyes on it. It was soft and fairly large. I had to have it! 

I ended up with that soft, fluffy throw blanket in the end! We ended the night with a competitive game of Yahtzee. I hadn't played that game in years, so I was a little rusty. I lost BIG TIME! You really tend to forget how important spending time with family is. Tonight I was reminded that no matter how busy life may be, you should always take time out for day filled with family,food, and Yahtzee! 

Pants- Nine West
Shirt- Forever 21
Jacket- Marshall's 
Boots- Kohls