A Very Hansen Christmas

For as long as I can remember, Christmas Eve meant one thing: Hansen family sleepover. Christmas Eve was spent at my Grandpa and Grandma Hansen's home (and later my aunt and uncle's) where all of my dad's siblings, their spouses, and their children would gather together to eat, laugh, play, and sleep (well, some of us would sleep).  Adults and children were piled, stacked, and strategically placed in every place imaginable in hopes for at least a few hours of sweet slumber before it was time to see what Santa Claus had brought.  All of the cousins told stories, passed gas, and laughed the night away, while upstairs the parents played Santa and cursed all of the instruction manuals keeping them up so late.  

Usually Uncle Kevin would make an appearance downstairs announcing Santa's current position on his route, encouraging sleep so that the big guy would actually come visit our party.  When morning finally arrived we had to line up at the bottom of the stairs- youngest to oldest- and would plead to be allowed up to see our Christmas loot.  Those ten minutes of waiting always felt like an eternity, but it was essential that all camcorders were on and all parents were in their proper places to capture our joy as we entered the living room and found our assigned spot holding our gifts.  The next hour was spent playing with our new toys, playing with our cousin's new toys, and eating breakfast casserole.  We would then make our way to the basement where more presents were opened (with Grandpa always guessing what was in his unopened packages), and of course lots more laughs (and gas).

Those Christmas memories will ALWAYS be some of the most cherished of my life.  There aren't many families who can, or who even want to be together like our family does.  Our family that once squeezed into my grandparents home is now nearly triple the size.  People live in different homes, different cities, and even different states.  We've lost a couple of key members far too early for any of our liking, and many circumstances are different than we could have ever imagined.  It's just too hard to have our big sleepover anymore.  Many days I long for the time when our Christmas extravaganza was completely possible, and the thought of not being together wasn't even an option.  But instead we take what we can get, and we cherish the moments that we can all be together.  This year we decided to meet in the middle and spend a night together at our little home in Twin Falls (and it certainly felt little with 40 people giving off body heat!).  With most of the family living either in Boise or Pocatello, Twin Falls seemed like the perfect solution.  With lots of help from everyone in attendance we had a great time swapping gifts, eating pizza, celebrating new babies, sitting on Santa's lap, and laughing until it hurt.  

These people are pretty great, and the relationships we share are something very special.  We are lucky to have each other, and to see each other when we can.  We can get a little crazy when we are together, but that is what makes it so fun. These are the people who knew and loved my dad just like I did.  Being with them makes me feel close to him. They understand the ache, because they have it, too. They can laugh about the things he would have done, and we can cry together because he isn't here to do them. One of the greatest gifts he ever gave me was them.