Christmas

I love Christmas time :D I love all the cultural things like decorating trees, and christmas carols, and buying gifts for people that you know they'll love, and seeing children all ligned up to talk to Santa with big wishes floating around in the air... It's such a hopeful time... Even the Christmas specials on TV are all about miracles happening and small people doing great things... Sadly the True HOPE and meaning of Christmas is often lost in all the hub-bub which gives reason to get discouraged and begrudge all the hype, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't still love it :D

One reason that I love Christmas time is that there is an element of predictibility, also known as tradition, things that you can count on to be the same (ish). Like our tree for example... the same decorations every year, the same popcorn and red shiney balls... mmm. And like Uncle Al singing "O Holy Night" every Christmas eve and the way that it makes my whole family cry :) And many others...

This year, after our Christmas Eve service we did things a bit differently. We went to the Frizzell's house along with the Bryants (and grandparents), the Monette's, the McNab's, the Churchill's, and the Marsh's :D It was lots of fun and we ate a lot of good food! After that we went over to the Bryant's for an hour or so for coffee and to complete our traditional yearly gathering of the two families (our families, even when all us kids were really little, would get together every Christmas eve until it was time for bed...Christmas just isn't quite like Chrismas without that tradition). It was very fun to get to do both new and old traditions on the same night :P

Christmas morning also was a cozy day of traditions as mom made fresh scones and cut up fruit (including fresh pinapple), and dad's coffee, all to be eaten in front of the fireplace :D These are our stockings, lovingly hand knitted by my Nanny (mom's mom) -I've had it my whole life (mine is the green Roudlof stocking). Actually, Nanny has now taken to knitting extras for the future and current spouses for all of us grand children :) They are very special to all of us... Please note that the "loyalist" in me has Janna's stocking displayed (altough empty) to demonstrate that even though she wasn't here in body, we had her in our minds and she was with us in Spirit :D Mom rolled her eyes at me a bit...but I don't care :) I just said, "mom, when the day comes that I'm not around for your Christmas celebrations, I would want you to put my stocking out" (the Stockings go: Janna's-red reindeer, mine, Dad's-snowman, Mom's-Santa).

This year for Christmas dinner the 3 of us headed over to the Romkey's (Dad's sister's family) along with Paul and Carrie Hat (an older couple that were good friend's of Gramma & Grampa, that Dad and his siblings have a lot of love for). It was so much fun and it had been so long since I'd seen Nathan, Raeleen, and Emily-who are very grown up now! The 4 "kids" sat on the living room floor and played board games for a few hours after dinner and laughed to kill ourselves... SO much fun! Good food + good family+ good fun = Blessings on Christmas :D