I hope your Christmas was GREAT and that you had just as much time with your loved ones as you wanted (not too much, not too little!)
We got the presents wrapped and under the tree.
Here's a little short tour of our Christmas sparkles:
I even got some early presents - these lovely plaid napkins are from my sweet friend Echo!
My Mom and I took my nieces shopping so they could buy presents for each other and for their parents.
They are thoughtful shoppers!
We also got to go to Goodwill, and I taught Cora a bit about why I like to buy handmade things, especially if they are signed with the artist's name!
We found this interesting oval ceramic container with a lovely robin's egg blue interior!
And the opening is wavy!
We also found this candle holder that looks like it's made from crumpled up paper.
I took some time to make special Christmas treats. These are peppermint patties. It was the first time I had used this recipe and it is a good one!
I also made molasses cookies and spritz!
On a separate trip to Goodwill, I found lots more of our Pfaltzgraff dishes that we registered for when we got married! I still love the pattern and I still love the chunky style.
We got Claude's ashes back.
A little bit of her beautiful soft fur:
And her footprints:
Somehow these things bring a bit of comfort.
We got to enjoy Esme's and Cora's Christmas concerts all together this year!
Esme:
Cora:
And we continued to enjoy our Christmas decor, which was a bit different this year than last year. This is only our second Christmas in our beautiful new home, so I'm still figuring out where we want things.
This year it brought me joy to have candles (electric or battery-powered) in as many windows as possible. I have found secondhand versions made from wood and they are beautiful from inside and from outside!
Allistair is still not back to full health and we're not completely sure why, so he's been getting a lot of snuggles. I also came down with some sort of respiratory illness about a week before Christmas, so I've needed extra rest.
I got new beautiful plaid flannel sheets for our bedroom:
And happily, my parents bought us some lovely new plaid sheet for the guest room (where I slept for week due to my illness):
Now both of the beds have wonderful soft new sheets!
We've been fortunate enough to have lots of fog lately! I love it! So far this winter, we've had almost no snow, so at least there's been some interesting weather!
We also had a couple of days of pretty steady rain, which was lovely and relaxing.
Greg happily got to spend some time with his Dad and Step-Mom's family on the 23rd. I was still too sick to travel far and interact with people, so sadly I had to stay home.
And then it was Christmas Eve!
I was really dragging, but we didn't need to travel far, and my family had already accidentally been exposed to my germs because I had seen then the day I came down with the illness.
Cora decided that she wanted to put on a Nativity play for us and she wrote the script herself! Esme agreed to participate, and Grandpa and Grandma played some bit roles, as well.
It was ADORABLE and well done!
Then it was time for gifts.
The girls in motion, delivering gifts!
Our first present was a Christmas Witch from Cora! She has lovely green clothes, a long cape, and sparkly hair. I very much liker her hat and belt. Cora did not explain the witch's job at Christmastime.
Dad and Mom
Esme made me a Christie flag!!! I LOVE IT and have it displayed in my office. It reminds me to be the full ME I was created to be.
Esme made Greg a Greg ball! We do not know what it is or WHY she made it, but it makes us smile with full hearts whenever we think about it.
Mark with his stack of gifts:
Jillian (beautifully festive house displayed in the background):
Dad and Mom;
Greg:
Then we had our meal. Our Christmas Eve meal as long as I can remember has been chalupas. If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you'll know that Tex-Mex chalupas from where my parents lived in Texas is a pork and bean mixture, simmered for many hours with various spices. I now make my own version, which is beans and veggies and tomatoes and corn. I eat it in the same way everyone else eats theirs: on top of Fritos and topped with fresh veggies and sauce! Yum!
Then we played Dutch Blitz.
I was veeerrry tired by this time, but I even won a couple of hands.
The next day was Christmas Day. We were exhausted (I was especially so), so we slept in late and lazed around the house for a few hours before doing anything.
But we had presents for each other, too! Greg got a window-cleaning pole that he had his eye on. It happened to go on sale before Christmas! Let us know when you want your windows washed, because Greg has all the best tools and techniques!
He even got a bucket-on-a-belt!
Then it was time for tidying up a bit, more tasty food, and a little nap.
Since then, the Christmas decorations have been boxed up and put away until next year. Some cleaning has been done, and the house looks a bit empty and less sparkly for sure.
It was a fabulous peaceful wonderful blessed Christmas, and we hope yours was, too.
The Light Of The World has come and we no longer need to live in darkness. John 12:46
