Christmas Eve Mass

Every year, we have the painful discussion of just how early we need to get to mass on Christmas Eve to ensure we get seats together in an area we want.  This year mass was at 4:30pm, and Father had a letter in the bulletin the week before that said seat saving would not be allowed.  So, like good rule followers, we were all at church together...AT 2:45pm.  When we pulled in, there were only a few other cars in the parking lot - I think we beat the rush.  We hung out in the parking lot for a bit and then went in around 2:50pm.


The church was decorated beautifully (see how there is no one in the pews in front of us). :)  People started to arrive in full force around 3:15 and by 3:30 the church was mostly full.  Next year we're going to shoot for 3 or 3:05, and we'll likely let my parents save us seats and we'll arrive a bit later.


We were nervous about how the boys would do, because that is a lot of sitting quietly for a 3 and 5 year old.  We loaded up with snacks, coloring books and books, and in the end it was checkers on Papa's phone that was the most interesting.  I was happy with whatever passed the time for them - people young and old were using phones to pass the time until mass started at 4:30pm.  Although church was standing room only by 3:45 or 4pm, Father did not start mass until its planned time at 4:30pm.  


The boys did awesome - by the time we left church it was around 5:45pm, so we had been there for almost 3 HOURS!  We promised them if they were good they would get to open a present when we got to Grandma and Papa's. and they definetely earned it!