Christmas | 2023

This year, we gathered for our family Christmas celebration a couple of days before Christmas. It was nearly an "open house" as some could come early but needed to be home before dark, some were working until nearly dark, and others were somewhere in between. It gets complicated as families age and grow and move, but it is so worth digging in and trying to make a plan to celebrate together! Those times are limited and they are golden. 

Christmas music playing. A bountiful buffet. (Many cooks do not spoil the broth. Many cooks make for a lovely spread!) Loved ones gathering. Tears. Remembering. Quiet. Laughs. Noise. Stories. More stories. More laughs. Giving tokens of our love. A Christmas Fairy and her helpers passing out gifts. Eating too much dessert. (I got no photos of the dessert spread, but trust me when I say there was plenty.) Delights. Sadness. Joy. 

And Emmanuel. God. With. Us. 

Good times!! 

On Christmas morning, we had our traditional breakfast.

We've been hosting Christmas breakfast for many years, and where we once had both of the younger girls at home and all four of our parents came, now it is just Ron and me, Bekah, and Mom.

That is the way life is, always changing. The wise consider and make the most of the opportunities. 

In the afternoon, we opened our gifts to one another, then made some hot drinks and went for a leisurely drive. We were home in time to Skype with Kati and Andrew and the children. Then we went over to Mom's house for some Christmas treats. 

At Mom's

The rest of the week did not go as planned as we all came down with some kind of respiratory virus. Plans were rescheduled, but that means . . . Christmas has lingered! In fact, we will host our final holiday gathering tomorrow when Ron's siblings and their spouses come to Pineapple House to celebrate. 

So, yes, Christmas is lingering here at our house. Even so, we have taken some time to look back on the past year and document its highs and lows. (I talk about this habit ~ here~ .)

We are also looking ahead and setting some goals and making plans for house projects we'd like to accomplish this year. I'll share some of those with you. I'd also like to tell you about some of the house projects that were completed in 2023. 

As I often do, I'd like to leave you with a song. My Kati sang this at my Dad's funeral service and it has become a(nother) favorite. It is my prayer for the coming year to make the Lord "My Dwelling Place" more than ever before. There is no better place, no safer place.