A Pictorial Review of our Christmas Break

Joseph and Mary begin their long journey to Bethleham

Joseph and Mary begin their long journey to Bethlehem

At the very beginning of Christmas break we made an unplanned trip “back home” for my great uncle’s funeral.  This was a special time of remembering a quiet, yet great man and connecting with extended family.  As always we delighted in squeezing as much time as possible with “the cousins”, my sister and her kids.  My dad put us up in a different hotel this time, which had an indoor courtyard.  The kids spent hours playing games and eating.

I got to hug on and visit with my cousin David for the first time in years.

We arrived back home on the 23^rd, whew. This is the second time in recent years that I have traveled right before Christmas. I am thankful for these opportunities, but it is also a little hard in the full busyness of the season.

Rudolf Hair My nephews challenged to sport some Rudolf hair, so my kiddos helped me get my red nose on.

A Whovian gift

Our Christmas Eve tradition of one gift after the candlelight service, almost always pajamas.

a sweet tradition continues

A sweet tradition continues.

It was quiet late Christmas Eve when I pulled the ingredients & dough out of the cabinets and fridge.  And that’s when I noticed that my youngest was STILL AWAKE.  After pausing for just a moment, I invited her to get up and join me.  Oh how thankful I am for remembering that the time together far far far outweighed my desire for quiet, or the desire to keep the surprises in the living secret until morning.

Usually when I make the Carmel Rolls, I just use white sugar or honey and cinnamon.  But for the Christmas batch, I pull out the red & green sugar sprinkles.  Makes them just a little more festive.

Oh Holy Night

Joseph and Mary make it to the stable, and the Babe is placed in the manger.  I had to hide Baby Jesus a couple weeks earlier because my granddaughter was quite taken with Him.  It concerned me that we might not find the piece as she kept wandering off with it.  A sweet memory to cherish, “my baby Jesus”.

For Christmas we gave our 3 youngest daughters an overnight ski trip.  They took lessons the first day and explored the green slopes the second day.  It was brutal cold, but they soaked as much as they could from the time.  I spent the time in the Lodge reading and visiting with other people, as I am not able to participate in skiing.  The first day was pretty long, but the second day we shared a table with some other people and the conversation was delightful.

The girls took to skiing just like I hoped they would.  They are active and very coordinated people, so skiing is now added to the athletic endeavors they can pursue throughout life.  We have another ski trip penciled in for late February, and maybe one during spring break.  After that I will feel comfortable with them going off with friends next year.

Whew, it was a very full Christmas season!  I took one more trip during the break that I will blog about in a few days.  Three trips in 2 weeks were so wonderful, but also had me stuggling to get my feet back under me when school started again!

Thank you for letting me share these memories with you!