Christmasssss!!!!

First of all, I'd like to make a confession. Despite the fact that I am in Spain and not France, I honestly believe that I've found the most amazing crepe place in the world. I cannot walk past the window without buying myself a huge crepe with Nutella... So tonight as I sat at the bus station with 15 minutes to spare, I may have run across the street and indulged in a crepe-nutella fantasy. And my workout for today is basically 6 feet under.

Now that I got that off my chest, let's talk about Christmas!

Holiday break lasts for a whopping 17 days! So I have a lot of time to either lay in bed like a loofa or do something productive.

On Christmas Eve we had lunch with family friends and relaxed for much of the afternoon before going home and getting ready for dinner. At 7pm we headed to the Grandparents house (a.k.a Los Yayos) to feast and and celebrate. Besides my host family and the grandparents, Javier's brother and his family joined us. We were eleven people in total.

The meal consisted of the following: Ham, shrimp, King crabs, German salad, Steak or sometype of seafood (whichever you preferred), ice cream, chocolate, and other delicious things for desert. Oh and of course, wine and champagne! 

At one point we were making a toast or singing something (I honestly can't remember) and everyone was standing up but Yayo (the grandpa) wouldn't move from his seat. Suddenly he started yelling and grabbing his chest. For a split second we all thought for sure that this man was having a heart attack... Until we realized the real humor in what was happening... Yayo was wearing a little Christmas tie with a button on it that made the tie light up and play a little Christmas tune. While grabbing his chest like a dying man, he was really just frantically looking for the button to make his tie light up and sing. Moments before we'd been fearing for his life and now we were all dying of laughter.

After we stuffed our faces it was time for the entertainment. Everyone had to prepare something. Elena played guitar, sang, and then danced with her cousin. Lucia (the cousin) played the recorder with her nose which made everyone cry in hysterics. I had no idea what to do for my turn, so I made my eyebrows dance along to the song Jingle-Bells. Javier and his brother played the guitar and sang, also. And after that, we all just danced around and had a merry time. Honestly, it was the most joyful Christmas Eve I've ever had. I was bubbling with laughter all night. There just wasn't time to be homesick, because I was already in the presence of so many loving people.

Just after 2am we went home and everyone was off to bed so Papa Noel could stop by with the presents. I stayed up till 3 and Skyped with family in New Jersey as they gathered in the living room and opened Pollyanna gifts.

When I finally went to bed I couldn't have been more pleased with the way that the day had gone.

 I forgot to mention that my packages from home hadn't arrived in time, so I would not be opening my Christmas gifts from family on time... but after crying about it for 10 minutes I didn't care anymore. Like I said, there just wasn't time to be sad that night. There was too much delicious food, rich wine, and joyful people.

My Facebook status basically summed it all up: "Best Christmas Eve of my entire life. I got to spend time with my family in New Jersey over Skype and celebrated all night long with my new family here in Spain. This season is all about the expression of your heart- and I finally know what the the Magic of Christmas really means. I've never felt so loved by others, or so eager to show my affection to others, as I do on this night... All because of the birth of Jesus, this world has been blessed with a beautiful time to celebrate our divine relationship with Him and others. ♥"