Our father was born on Christmas eve. As you might imagine he rarely got a birthday party and gifts were often for Christmas not his birthday.

Our family used to celebrate his birthday from the time he woke up until that evening.

When even came our family hosted an annual Christmas party. It was open to all.

Many people came, some would stay all night and others would come and go.

The house was full of people.

Free food from horsderves were served throughout the evening and into the night and dinner was served just before the annual gift exchange began.

The food was plentiful and delicious.

For years we did what many6 people did, we bought presents for friends and family and for that night we drew names.

Drawing names was a bust.

The gift giving morphed into a gift exchange modeled after a cast off party.

The kind of party that happens a month or so after Christmas where people wrap up the gifts they really didn't want and put them into a pile of gifts to be chosen randomly by others. It was hilarious and so we adopted that and added a couple of our own rules.

Its more like a gift giving game than an exchange.

The gift exchange quickly became the event everyone wanted to be part of.

The rules and the gifts people brought turned it into a can't miss event.

When our father died in 2017, his children asked the American Legion Post 1 in Denver if we could use their space on Christmas Eve to carry on the tradition.

Quickly we were told that the Legion closes for Christmas eve and no bartenders wanted to work that night.

The commander though planted a seed, he told us that many veterans wanted the Legion to stay open on Christmas eve so they would have some place to go and not be alone.

Our family realized that this was bigger than a tradition, it was a chance to give back to the veterans while honoring our father.

KEEP THE POST OPEN was a key and from there we offered to pay the bartenders handsomely if one would stay for our event.

One did. One special lady. I don't have her permission to name her so I won't, but she has been the bartender for every year since only missing one.

We realized that just keeping the doors open was great but why not raise some money for veterans causes too.

The first event was filled with our family and friends and veterans.

Many veterans were happy that the post was open but kept their distance from the party.

Overtime however, more and more veterans came specifically to be part of the gift exchange or to watch it all unfold.

The gift exchange is especially entertaining because of the rules and the variety of gifts one might receive... or steal (as part of the game).

At first veterans were reluctant to even eat the meals provided.

We would encourage and explain that the even was to honor our veteran father and all veterans and it was our honor to provide the food.

A few obtained but most ate.

That is no longer a problem, the veterans have become quite accustomed to the party.

In 2020 the Legion was ordered to be closed and that included Christmas eve.

That didn't stop our custom or the honoring of vets or the meals.

That year we delivered 99 meal to veterans and their families on Christmas eve... right to their doors.

There was one year where we had a magician and it was amazing.

After the exchange many leave but there are others that choose to stay and party and dance the night away.

We are open to entertainers at the right price of course. We focus on raising money not spending it.

This is just a short insight to the event and there is sooo much more.

I have invited others to send me their stories both of our father and of the Christmas eve events.

The Weber's