I am returning from a blogging break that was a surprise to me! Since the week before Christmas, we have been busy with all sorts of things.
Celebrations, gatherings, hosting.
Cooking, planning, recovering.
(And cleaning up to do it again!)
Coffee, games, Netflix. Time for just being.
And then boom . . . it's the New Year! And since I am always running late anyway, I'm going to take some time to record some Christmas memories.
Ron often quotes his former boss who said, "The only thing constant in life is change." Change was afoot this Christmas! We knew that Ryan and Sarah's family would be spending Christmas with her parents. But then strep and the flu struck Kristin and Brian's family and everything was up in the air. We were sad, imagining just the four of us here if the flu made its rounds.
But . . . deep down there was joy, because The Reason for our celebrations remains: Jesus has come to redeem!
As it turned out, we were able to enjoy some time with our son's family before they left on their trip. Our daughter's family all went on meds; most did not get the flu and those who did recovered quickly. There was a countdown for 24 hours fever-free . . . and we made it!
As an extra precaution, we separated our Christmas Day gatherings, keeping the older folks away from any possible sickies. Ron's mom and my parents came for breakfast. My parents came back and my sister joined us for our Christmas buffet. My niece and her family stopped by for a quick visit. And after everyone else left, Kristin and her family arrived and we pulled out all of the goodies again and added her yummy contributions and we were so grateful that everyone was well and that we could enjoy time together!
Here are some glimpses of our gatherings . . .
It started as Christmas dress-ups.
Ron often quotes his former boss who said, "The only thing constant in life is change." Change was afoot this Christmas! We knew that Ryan and Sarah's family would be spending Christmas with her parents. But then strep and the flu struck Kristin and Brian's family and everything was up in the air. We were sad, imagining just the four of us here if the flu made its rounds.
But . . . deep down there was joy, because The Reason for our celebrations remains: Jesus has come to redeem!
As an extra precaution, we separated our Christmas Day gatherings, keeping the older folks away from any possible sickies. Ron's mom and my parents came for breakfast. My parents came back and my sister joined us for our Christmas buffet. My niece and her family stopped by for a quick visit. And after everyone else left, Kristin and her family arrived and we pulled out all of the goodies again and added her yummy contributions and we were so grateful that everyone was well and that we could enjoy time together!
Here are some glimpses of our gatherings . . .
A Few Days Before Christmas
It started as Christmas dress-ups.
Then it got a little crazier when Kati made Nora into a "Who."
When we had our tea,
everyone started looking at one another through the globe in the centerpiece
and it became uproarious!
I still laugh like crazy when I look at these pictures!
And somehow, I got no pictures of their parents. 😕
(Sorry, Ryan and Sarah! I guess I was too busy laughing.)
(Sorry, Ryan and Sarah! I guess I was too busy laughing.)
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
We recorded Macie (23 months) singing "Away in a Manger."
(Oh, it's the cutest thing! I think Kati will upload it to YouTube so I can share it.)
She loved seeing herself on video!
"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at His birth."
Luke 1:14
Beautifully documented! Gorgeous photos! Sorry about the interruptions and glad for the recovery. You captured a lot of joy.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vee! This post was rather photo heavy, but I loved so many moments!
DeleteWhat a nice time for gathering with your family. All of the beautiful preparations look so lovely. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing in our moments!
DeleteI was so happy to see that they recovered so quickly! The whole family gets more beautiful all the time!
ReplyDeleteAwww . . . you are so kind!
DeleteWe are sold on Tamiflu now. I have never seen anyone recover from the flu so quickly. (And it was true-blue flu too . . . a positive test for influenza A!)
LOVED seeing all this and glad you enjoyed a joyous Christmas. We too had to work around various sick ones, but made it through. Seems like this might be a bad year for viruses. Happy everyone over there recovered quickly!
ReplyDeleteEveryone recovered quite quickly (especially for flu!). When you have a large family, it is a little scary, but most did not get sick, thankfully!
DeleteYour gatherings are just beautiful, Cheryl. So happy to hear everyone is better. The photo of the children behind the hurricane is darling. Each face is full of joy. What could be better? Happy New Year! ♥
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martha Ellen! Oh, it was such a blessing how every little thing turned out. We feared the worst (lots of sickies, not being able to be together), but there was lots of joy in our days!
DeleteHappy New Year to all of you too!
P.S. Forgot to mention Nora as the Who---very clever of auntie!
ReplyDeleteWe laughed ourselves silly that night!
DeleteI love seeing your beautiful photos of your family gatherings...magazine worthy, every single one. I think it's kind of nice that you had your Christmas somewhat in "shifts". And who needs Snap Chat or other apps when you have a glass globe to look through? Absolutely hysterical! It reminds me a little of how we used to entertain ourselves when I was a kid...although I would never really encourage anyone to bend a perfectly good photo in half, we used to take (those 2x3 school pics that you exchange with your friends) and interchange the top and bottom halves of their faces! It is amazing the "odd" people you can create...LOL! Try it sometime...probably better to just cut some faces out of a magazine though. :D
ReplyDeleteDebbie, you not only have me laughing (again!), but you have piqued my curiosity with the thoughts of those picture mash-ups! (My wheels are spinning. Hmmm . . . how about photocopies of pictures? It sounds like a great party game!)
DeleteSorry there was a downer at Christmas but it looks like you made the best of it! The photos show it to be festive, warm and not overwhelming and that probably can be credited to you! Your drop-leaf table looks great next to "our" chair and we have the same goblets. I hope you've enjoyed some rest in the week in between. We are enjoying (really) some very cold weather that is sticking around.
ReplyDeleteWith a little creativity and flexibility . . . and the Lord's mercy, of course! . . . it all turned out better than we imagined!
DeleteNot surprised that we also have the same goblets! ;)
Blessings for the New Year! Stay warm!
Oh my, you were busy!!! So glad everyone feels better - the flu is not fun. Your Christmas moments are memorable indeed - the glass globe pictures are brilliant. You have shared some absolutely wonderful pictures, capturing the love you feel for your family!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rosella . . . it was a busy and blessed time! We are so thankful that the flu was contained! (We are new fans of Tamiflu!)
Delete(By the way, I found the feather tree instructions today. I will scan them and get them to you asap!)
The photos of your family gatherings are each one just perfect and beautiful. As Debby said above, magazine worthy. You do a splendid job at decorating your home and table, Cheryl! And the food looks scrumptious too. Many blessings to you and yours in this New Year! xx Cheryl
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cheryl! Your words are so kind!
DeleteA blessed New Year to you and yours too!
What a wonderful post, filled with photos of a lovely family gathering. Your home is beautifully decorated. I love your style.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful 2018 and thanks for sharing your life here with us. ~ FlowerLady
So sweet, FlowerLady! New Year blessings to you too!
DeleteAnd what wonderful memories they are Cheryl, I am so happy everything worked out so swell, praying everyone is healthy once again.
ReplyDeleteYour schedule sounded like mine, I had planned to return to posting our traditions but just got caught up in the busyness!
If ever you need an extra relative, I might be up for adoption, you all have so much fun!~wink~
Thank you for your friendship, and your thoughtful and sweet comments.
Wishing you and yours the most blessed and happiest of New Years.
Sue
Thanks so much, Sue! You come right on over here and we'll adopt you right away! Say, how does your face look through a globe? ;)
DeleteA blessed New Year to you and yours too!
Beautiful recap of family fun and joy captured! Great plan on separating groups to keep illness at bay. Love that cute little cabin cake at the top of your post and how it's plated! Hope you are warm and cozy and free from colds and flu!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ellen! I was praying about what we could do and that idea came to me. So thankful that it worked . . . no new sickies!
DeleteThe little cakes were a hit with the grands too!
Precious and beautiful celebrations of the Light of the World!!! ps your packages are lovely <3 !!! ~Lord Bless you all in this new year!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! He is the Light of the World and so worthy of our honor! New Year blessings to you as well!
DeleteHappy New Year, dear Cheryl! You family is so lovely and your home warm and cozy. So happy illnesses passed and special times could be had!
ReplyDeleteAs I begin this new year, I am trying to organize and prioritize allowing time to visit sweet friends like you! All the best in 2018!
Thank you so much, Lorraine, and a Happy New Year to you too!
DeleteAs you can see, I am way behind in responding to comments as well as in reading/comments on other blogs myself. It is difficult to fit in everything that we want to do, isn't it? We have to give grace to ourselves and to one another!
Visit when you can. It's always nice to see you!
What a wonderful post! Have you ever thought about making your blog into a book for the family? Everything's so hopeful and cozy and loving and joyous! God bless you and your family in the year ahead. I'm so glad you were able to celebrate and hold the worst of sickness at arm's length. God is merciful.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Judy! I have thought about making a yearly book from my blog as a record of our comings and goings, but I'm a little afraid of the cost as I include so many photos!
DeleteIndeed, God is merciful in so many ways!