Swiss Christmas

This was our first Christmas that we celebrated in Switzerland. Last year we were in Barcelona and this year we had wanted to go to Germany but Lily does not have a passport yet so we decided to stay home. 

On Christmas Eve Lily and I hung out while the boys went and played in the snow

Lily watching me clean

Luke and Jack drove up the hill 15 minutes and found a winter wonderland with kids ski slopes, snow shoeing trails and sledding areas

Back at home, I was setting up for Christmas Eve dinner. Luke and I got ourselves a raclette machine for Chritsmas. Raclette is a traditional Swiss dish where you broil pieces of cheese and then pour them over potatoes. Our Raclette machine also has a grill on top for veggies and meats.

Christmas present to ourselves.

Special raclette cheese

Special raclette cheese

We ordered a charbonnade platter from our local butcher to eat with our raclette. The varieties of meat we got included pork, lamb, chicken, beef, veal and horse. Then I made traditional sauces to go with the meat including a curry sauce, garlic and chives and a tomato sauce.

Christmas Eve dinner

We also went to a Christmas Eve church service at an English speaking church. It was a very family friendly church, at one point during the service Lily started fussing so I got up to take her out and some lady came running after me and told me not to leave that a little noise was fine and they love having children in the service. I think we will be going back there for sure.

After Jack went to bed Luke and I wrapped the presents

Lily sleeping during present wrapping

The whole family Christmas morning

Jack learning to use his new remote control car

Lily and her new toy

Attempting to get some nice photos

Love this one!

Me and mine

For Christmas dinner we headed over to our friends house in Neuchatel

The whole group

Family picture

Jack and Mabel

Jack and Mabel were playing together in her room and I walked in there to check on them and Lily started cracking up at the kids playing. It was so cute that I had to pull out my camera and get it on film:

The kids enjoying their own special kids wine

Raclette dinner with our Swiss friends. In addition to potatoes, they also pour the cheese over pineapples and peaches.

Luke played some Christmas music

The kids danced

Lily's chubby cheeks just crack me up

For dessert we had a typical french cake called: La bûche de Noël

I also made a pumpkin pie (it was the first pumpkin pie ever for our Swiss friends)

The kids ready for dessert

It was a great Christmas and we are so thankful to be able to have friends here to celebrate with!

Luke has this entire week off and I'm thankful for that too!

Daddy and his kiddos

Here's a video of Jack and his car as well as him talking about Christmas