The Cousins'

My husband comes from a large family. His grandfather was one of 12 children and his grandmother was one of 11. SO we have a HUGE number of cousins. It really is incredible. We are literally related by blood or marriage to half the county. I joke with my husband it is a good thing he married an "outsider" as the gene pool was getting pretty shallow! He, unfortunately, doesn't find that humorous.

Every year cousin Doris has a Christmas party called The Cousins'. I am not sure if it is a "country" tradition all over the Nation but it is really popular around here. It is a party and all the kin folk are invited. In our family that makes for a rather large party. It is a "covered dish" affair (pot luck for you yankees) and we all show up with different dishes. I usually bring Sweet Potato Souffle, or Sweet Potato Pie. I have killer recipes and if you are interested simply email me at lkfields at bellsouth dot net. My MIL brings dressing and gravy. YUMMY! And then there is ham, deviled eggs, and all sorts of desserts.

After we eat we play a gift giving game. Each person brings a Christmas gift of no more than $10 value. Each person draws a number and according to number we take turns choosing a gift and opening it. The trick is if you see a gift you like, you can steal it from someone in lieu of choosing a wrapped gift. So having the last number is of great benefit!

This year the Cousins' took place during a drill weekend. I LOVE this party so I came straight from drill to attend. I wasn't able to make my desserts but... oh well, maybe next year. My MIL had brought the children and I met them there. Payson (my husband) was at a Chiropractic conference that day so he met us there as well. I was SO tired. I had gotten up at 5am that morning and then had the APFT test plus drilling all day.

I hesitated showing up in my uniform. Cousin Doris' son died in the Veitnam Conflict. He was in the Army and I didn't want to upset her. She was not upset and was very proud. She even thanked me for coming and told me I looked nice in uniform. There was a sadness to her eyes, but she was greatful I made the time to come to the party. She is a very sweet person. I am glad I made the time too.