A Candle Light Dinner

With only 8 days til Jesus' Birthday---

We decided to have a CANDLELIGHT DINNER!!

A couple of my friends have done this in previous years as part of their count-down to Christmas, but we have never braved it!!

And I'm so glad we did tonight!

**Yes, I know my table is not fancy!  But, I didn't think a centerpiece or table decorations were a good idea with candles!  And, this was probably a smart call on my part.  The toasting kept the kids quite busy picking up their glasses, putting them down, toasting across the table, over the fire, putting glasses down, and on and on.  Maybe in a few years we can add a fancy centerpiece**

It was SO FUN!!  We had the kids go to their rooms until we were ready.

We "called their number" when their reservation was ready!

They couldn't believe the lights were OUT.  They couldn't believe we were eating at the "real table".  (We always eat around our huge island).

So---what goes into a candle-light dinner....or a FANCY DINNER.

Fancy plates --our Christmas plates---not our plastic plates or paper plates

Fancy cups---GLASS CUPS, oh  my....

Wine and wine glasses---or Sparkling Grape Juice

Toasts --and lots of them

Dessert---and Fancy dessert---we had brownies cut in shapes of Christmas trees

(We never have dessert right after dinner....so this was a treat!) and...

A chocolate treat by your fork when you sit down

OH---and at a FANCY DINNER you have you use a quiet voice

---this was the best part of the night!!

and what was for dinner??  Nothing Fancy...

Biscuits and Gravy!  Funny huh!  But, it was already on our menu for tonight and we KNEW the kids would all eat it, no complaints, no struggles.  And, we were right.  

There were LOTS of SMILES this evening!!

"I'd like to make a toast...."

This was the cutest part of the night...

we toasted to our awesome family, to Jesus' birthday, to the lights being off, I can't remember what all, but it was FUN TO MAKE TOASTS with our FANCY GLASSES!!

I love these Christmas wine glasses and I don't even really use them---they are more for decoration---if I get them out.  So, I decided I would let the kids use them.  I gave myself (and Steve) a little pep talk in case they did break the glasses.  We were NOT going to be upset!

BUT---no breakage.  There really wasn't even a close call.

Sparkling Grape Juice.  $3.  Jaden wouldn't try it--that is SO Jaden, nothing unusual or different for him. Paige didn't like it.  Tyler liked it the next day when it wasn't so bubbly.  Tyler did keep his in his cup and did drink it for the toasts.  Jaden and Paige had water in their "wine glasses".  But, it was cool to hold the new cups!

We started out just toasting those close to us.

Then, Jaden starting walking around the table so he could toast EVERYONE!!!

It was so fun.  We will for sure do this again---and probably before next year's countdown to Christmas.  The kids loved it.  When they read.... "Have a Candlelight Dinner" on their countdown strip...they had no idea what it meant!

YEA!!!!  For Countdown to Jesus's Birthday!!

AND---I have decided that I know a night was a success when one of the kids prays about it at night.  Jaden's prayer was.....

And, thank you that we could turn out the lights and eat with the candles tonight!!

And Paige said...

Thank you for, what was that called tonight mom, (I tell her) 

oh yea..thank you for our candlelight dinner!!

SUCCESS!!!!