.elle.jay.: Christmas in San Antonio

Happy New Year! The last month has been a very busy one for us, as I know it is for a lot of people around the holidays/end of the year.
This year Eric's parents happened to be living in his grandparents old home where they grew up spending many Christmas mornings with the whole family. This year they were planning a reunion/throw-back of sorts to get everyone back (now the grandkids as adults, a few with kids) for one last year before someone else moves into the house next year.
As for my family, I knew we would have two new family members, and it would be the last Christmas in our childhood home as well. We knew we didn't want to miss either of these opportunities, so we decided to travel to both Texas and Virginia this year! We know we may not be able to do this in the future, but I'm so glad we did for 2017.

We arrived in San Antonio on December 20th and spent the first day resting and visiting with Eric's grandmother "Beba" and a couple of his aunts. We took a drive around their neighborhood at night, as the community is very enthusiastic about Christmas lights. I was very impressed - I've never seen such elaborate displays before.

We spent some time at the Mexican market.

There are so many fun and creative things to look at here, a great place for inspiration for anyone that enjoys crafts as well.

We had lunch at Mi Tierra Cafe (also where my in-laws rehearsal dinner was 39 years ago).

That night we enjoyed lots of time with family.

We spent one day at the River Walk, also a must in San Antonio.

We got to see the Alamo - I loved learning more about it this trip. We actually got to tour the inside this time (I learned quickly no pictures).

And I got to take my first ride on a river boat! It was a great way to learn more about the history of San Antonio.

I believe this year San Antonio is celebrating their 300 year anniversary. They had all new boats to celebrate. The boats light up the water underneath you at night, it's actually very beautiful to see.

We ate dinner at The Esquire which is known for having the longest wooden bartop in Texas. I also learned (on our boat tour) that it was one of the first bars to open after the end of Prohibition - within hours they were open and serving drinks!

My sister-in-law and her family arrived on the 23rd. On Christmas Eve, we had to get to work making cookies for Santa.

For dinner on Christmas Eve, we went to a cousin's house for dinner. Their tradition is tamales - can't complain there!

After dinner, we headed back home so the girls could put cookies and carrots out for Santa and his reindeer. Then it was time for bed to rest up for a very busy morning.

We opened our stockings and enjoyed some coffee and quiet before everyone started arriving to open gifts. It was a packed house indeed.

One person remarked "this room seemed much bigger when we were kids." It was certainly the busiest Christmas morning I can remember. But it was a lot of fun to have everyone together in this house for one more year. We are so thankful we got to be a part of it.