A (Mostly) Peaceful Christmas

I had two requests for Christmas this year: peace and good health. For the most part, both of my desires were met. We had a few snafus along the way, but overall it was the most peaceful, calm and relaxing Christmas we've ever had. Everyone was healthy so we were able to enjoy our celebrations without the sickness factor.

The weeks prior to Christmas we had no real plans. We decided not to attend one event that we usually do, as it would have cost $30 and another $10+ in food plus preparation time. Instead, we stayed home and cuddled on the couch while watching Christmas movies. Another event was canceled the weekend that we were snowed in. A few days before Christmas, our dear CK came to visit and we enjoyed an evening at home with her, exchanging gifts and playing Dutch Blitz.

Christmas Eve morning, my dad stopped by for a few hours. We had breakfast together and he introduced the boys to Rube Goldberg online. The boys had been creating for days, using Keva blocks, Lincoln Logs and other supplies. Once he showed them Rube's site, the creative juices overflowed. My living room floor was covered most of the day as they made one invention after another. That evening, each boy read a Christmas book to us and D read Luke 2. We let the boys open one gift, then snuggled up to watch "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." D had read the book to us so it was fun to watch the movie. We also finished up our Christmas letters, I hope this will become a new tradition for our family. The boys dictated their thoughts and we printed off a letter for each person in the family. We will tuck them away with our Christmas books and read them again next year.

Christmas morning was relaxing as we opened gifts with the boys. My favorite part was watching their excitement as they presented D with his "Dad and Me" date certificates. B is taking D to the movies and out to eat. C is taking him bowling and to the park for a picnic and some catch. J chose a round of golf and a picnic in the park. The boys also gave each other gifts and it was a blessing to see them light up as they did so.

Later in the morning, we left to take some holiday cheer to a few friends. One sweet lady I know was preparing dinner for her family and I wanted her to know I was thinking of her. For so many, the holidays are very painful times. Sometimes we need to know that someone has our back and is praying for us to get through. After that stop, we dropped off gifts for a family with a four children--ages 6, 5, 4 and 2. When the four year old opened her gift to reveal two baby dolls, I said, "You may share one with your big sister if you want." Her response? "I don't want to," as she cuddled them close. Well, I did say "If you want..."

Dad prepared a huge "swine feast" for our Christmas tradition. He cooks a lot of PORK! It was yummy and fun to have most of our family together. We missed the B family who are in Florida. They usually make it to Virginia once every two or three years for Christmas. By the time the next baby is born, my dad's clan will be nineteen strong!

After brunch we exchanged gifts. My dad, Poppy, enjoys giving to the children. He had stacked their gifts into piles and brought each child to sit at his feet and open their gifts so everyone could see. It was fun to watch their faces and to see them hug on Poppy when they were finished. We decided to spend the night in town, so we hung out and watched movies while the boys (and grown ups) made potholders and put together Legos and model cars.

The day after Christmas we went to my grandparents house for a huge dinner. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, ham, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, potato salad, tossed salad, veggie pizza, chipped beef dip, ham dip, punch and an assortment of homemade cookies, ice cream and cream puffs. OH MY GOODNESS. That's just too much food in one place! Grandma gave out her gifts to the kids and they watched movies and played their new DS games. We crammed 22 people into three tiny rooms, it always amazes me how well the children do in that small space. My cousin and her family were not with us, and my sister and her family were absent, but that clan will soon total 30. Dad's "portion" is 19 of the 30. WOW!