Merry Christmas Koeman Kiddos

My mom calls us her kiddos.  I like it.
Friday night we had our "kiddo" Christmas party.  Like you I'm assuming, our Christmas party and celebration has evolved over the years.  When we were young Mom and Dad led the charge and gift-giving, then we began exchanging names, the focus became more about our kids. . . and here we are.  Two summers ago around a summer camp fire we decided to try something different with the adults.  It worked so well Christmas of 2010, that we decided to do it again, but with a few tweaks.  It went like this: instead of giving gifts to each other we'd go out for a really nice dinner with just the grown-ups and have a white elephant exchange.
In 2010, we went to a restaurant and this year we decided to get together at mom and dad's house for a four course meal instead.  Why the change?  Well, we loved our meal at Red's, but we couldn't hear each other.  There were nine of us in a large restaurant.  Also, my dad has joined us this year and this makes for a larger group.  My mom also loves to host gathering and wanted to cook a really nice meal for really nice grown-ups.  Also, we wanted to do a white elephant exchange and doing this in a home seemed a little bit better.  Finally, us Koemans take some time!  We love being together and knew that we wanted to enjoy just adult time.  No one was checking on kids, changing diapers, cutting up others food, wiping little mouths, or setting up a pack-n-play.  Glorious!  Little did we know my folks had some tricks up their sleeves.
We arrived at 6:30 for appetizers.  We were sitting in the living room when mom sat down with an envelope with our first "assignment" in it.  We had to create a new song to an old tune (and no objectionable material) and perform it for her and dad.  We wrote three new verses to "Row Row Row your Boat".  We even performed them in a round.  Boy is this a talented bunch!  The words rhymed, were filled with inside jokes, and even included a reference to my Grandma Koeman.  Little did we know!
Salad time and with it: another assignment.  All of us kids (have you seen how large my brothers and my hips are?) piled into my parents van and went to my Grandma's house to sing our song for her.  Glory!  She knew we were coming and had a reward for us when we were done.  Now, I have to tell a little story about Grandma Koeman here.  Love her!  She is 94 and when you are 94, you can do what you'd like and make known your wishes.  When I hit 90, I can say and ask for whatever I want.  After we were done with our little funky song, she made a couple of requests!  The first was Silent Night: IN GERMAN!  God bless Pat Becksvoort my junior choir director for teaching my sister and I that song.  I could sing it from memory.  Grandma did have an old German songbook so those who read German (?) could sing along.  What a hoot!  While we sang, she sat back and got her some tears in those sweet eyes.  The eyes look like my dad's.  It is an image I don't think I'll ever forget.  Then, she requested "Amazing Grace".  We proudly sang that for her too.  I couldn't help but think that I may never sing this for her again on earth.
She handed us our envelopes (coupons for babysitting from mom and dad: SCORE!) and we were back off to the house.
Dinner (and another assignment asking us to enjoy your meal) included a toast and lots of laughter.  It also included gifts of gold, frankincense. . .oops wrong story.  Dinner also included gifts of a fishing adventure for the boys with my pa in June and a "mystery" adventure for the women with my ma.  Sweet!  We also learned that if we put our plates on the floor my mom will take them to the kitchen for us.  Good stuff to know.
White elephants were next--oh friends.  Lots of laughter.  Lots of pencils.  A huge bear.  A dead frog.  A potato-like wine stopper.  An underwear purse.  A corded phone.  Lots of laughter.  Lots of history.  Lots and lots of lots.
We left after being together for four hours.  Just us.  My siblings and folks.  They are some of my most favorite people and I'm so thankful to be part of a group that works to be together.  I know not every family can enjoy that luxury.  I do.  I cherish it.  We've had an interesting path, but this year. . . this year we seemed to be on pretty flat and steady ground.  It was indeed a Merry Christmas.