Christmas

It's New Years Eve and frankly, I haven't even wrapped my mind around Christmas, let alone the packing away of an old year and the bringing on of the new.  We are hosting one more Christmas bash this Saturday (and the tree is a sad and sorry sight- yellow, droopy and crispy.  HANG ON TREE!) before I can really move past Christmas and face the fact that a new year is happening.

While everyone else is looking back on the year or looking ahead with resolutions and goals and words... I'll be making Christmas meringue cookies and writing lists for this weekend and wrapping presents for a few more days.   And blogging Christmas pictures.  Here they are:

These blankets were a wonderful surprise we found in the mail!  Look!  They have magic sleeping powers over Moses!

Moses gets a handknit hat from Mama, in the nick of time for Christmas photos.  It was made using this pattern.

 

This year is the year for meringue cookies.  I made about 8 batches of them this year.  I might have eaten a batch myself though.

I used upturned bread pans to make more oven space.  Oh, the cleverness of me!

But they are very pretty.

Note to self: NEVER, ever, EVER put presents under the tree before Christmas morning.  Every child complained that it almost ruined Christmas.

Why?

"Because you've NEVER done that before!"

Traditions, smaditions.

Children nestled, and all that.

All is calm, all is bright.

He's only as big as a stocking!

This blurry one is for the thighs alone.  You're welcome.

In which children try to listen to the Bible before opening the stockings that are calling their names from the couch.

Adele' got the cheerful job of opening up EXTRA presents for Moses. 

Which would have been a WAY more cheerful chore if he had more than two stocking stuffers. ha!

I think Corynn's present to Papa was his all time favorite.  He dreams of home additions with snooker tables.

I try and rein him in and what does she go and do? 

She feeds his dream.

Ineke had a gift too- a kitten ornament that said "Meowy Christmas" . 

She cracked herself up every time she said it.

Corynn is a good gift-giver because the gift she gave me this year was my most favorite gift of all too!  A basket that she MADE herself which is beautiful!  But inside the basket was a rubber stamp that she created using a drawing she had sketched this summer.  At the time, I mentioned that it would be an awesome rubber stamp and she somehow found a place to actually make it one.  Isn't it amazing?

Christmas carnage

I was very clever this year and made all the food on Christmas Eve so I wouldn't have to cook a thing on Christmas Day.  Sausage for breakfast.  Lasagna and roasted brussel sprouts for supper.  And I got the bright idea to fashion a big tray of  nibblers for children to munch on throughout the day so I wouldn't have to feed them.  Children did the slicing and dicing.

That idea will be revisited from henceforward.

We invited anyone older who we knew would have a quiet, boring and nothing-special Christmas to dine with us and allow us to add some boisterous spirit into their Christmas Day.  We only had two takers though.  I wonder why?!

The look of wonder you give your Mama when you are gifted a very special hunting knife.

  A camera stealer AND a baby stealer!  What a thief!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Lookie here! A sled for everyone!  Who says you can't buy happiness?

 And that was Christmas, in a nutshell.   

And now- just to finish up the last minute handmade Christmas presents and finish up my current read, the book God Rest Ye Merry by D. Wilson.  

Current Project:  A little Penguin Lovey.  For my little Moses Lovey.

Thanks for hanging with me this past year!  It means a lot that you take the time to visit me here...I am especially thankful for those of you who share your time and encouragement in the comments section.  Thank you for that!  

Here's to 2020 and all that it will bring with it.... ready or not....

Happy New Year!