Just as we were getting ready to sit down to Christmas dinner, Sam arrived home from a call to the fire station.
There had been a Christmas brawl.
A son had hit his own mother and grandmother in the heads, and one had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital, while the other drove herself there, too.
And there we were, gathering around our table, full of love and laughter, fun and joy,
despite some illness that had several of us still not feeling up to par.
Instead of a Christmas brawl,
we had been having a ball.
Christmas Eve began the festivities, as we had to give up going to Christmas Eve service because of sicknesses. Instead, around the supper table we had read a Christmas devotional, about how many babies have become kings, but only one King became a Baby.
And then I'd passed out a Christmas card to each of the family, to pray for the ones who sent the cards.
So many cards came this year! We had hung them on a string here,
There had been a Christmas brawl.
A son had hit his own mother and grandmother in the heads, and one had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital, while the other drove herself there, too.
And there we were, gathering around our table, full of love and laughter, fun and joy,
despite some illness that had several of us still not feeling up to par.
Instead of a Christmas brawl,
we had been having a ball.
Christmas Eve began the festivities, as we had to give up going to Christmas Eve service because of sicknesses. Instead, around the supper table we had read a Christmas devotional, about how many babies have become kings, but only one King became a Baby.
And then I'd passed out a Christmas card to each of the family, to pray for the ones who sent the cards.
So many cards came this year! We had hung them on a string here,
and still there was a pile left over!
May God bless all our friends today!
Rose mixed a batch of sourdough bread, covered with a towel embroidered by cousin Amaris.
We usually open some of our gifts on Christmas Eve, saving a few each for Christmas morning.
I've suggested exchanging names, but the children insist on making or buying gifts for each other, and so we just have a merry time.
The girls took a turn opening a gift each, then the boys, then Mom and Dad take a turn, so we can have a chance to admire and enjoy each other's gifts, yet not one by one or it would take a LOOOng time. Jonathan and I are standing in the middle of everything because we want to see everything and have a blast.
This is the girls' turn.
Carrie loved this gift. Almost everything lemon.
"When life hands you lemons, clean the house!"
She loves a clean house, and she likes lemon anything-
lemon-scented bleach, lemon oil, lemon-scented trash bags, yellow cleaning scrubbies, etc.
Danny and Hannah admiring their bird identification book.
Boots for Dad.
Omelettes for Christmas breakfast,
with avocados I got 3 for $1, and mushrooms and for Jonathan, jalapenos!
Bread fresh from the oven- a little overdone.
Trick gifts.
Christmas arrangements played by Crystal on the piano.
Making a puzzle they were given.
Cowgirl boot hair clip.
My favorite Christmas wrap was these cardinals.
Crystal sold another puppy today- a wonderful Christmas gift for her!
Sam was given a new wallet from his dad, and promptly switched his stuff over from his poor old one. Danny checking out a new game.
We had a simple Christmas dinner. The ham our neighbor gave us graced our
red-and black tablecloth today, with simple baked sweet potatoes, plain
green beans, fluffy rolls, and apple/celery salad.
Simple is best.
Rose made a snowman cheeseball.
Rose made Sam a batch of smoked jerky.
This afternoon, the guys worked on cleaning and repairing vehicles, and I went out to help, too.
Hannah and I vacuumed the van and I scrubbed it out where the goat had been in there,
being taken to the live nativity earlier last week.
Jonathan asked me to help him get seat covers on the seats in his work truck.
Those covers had sat in the garage for nearly two years, and finally,
for once, Jonathan had a chance to do something for himself, instead of
nearly always being on call for others.
It had been a beautiful day, so pleasant and happy.
This evening we had chips and dip, and played a new game, Balderdash, where one player tells the others an unknown word, and we all have to create a definition. Then, after the first player reads all the definitions, including the correct one, we vote on which definition we think is the correct one.
What a blast!
After supper, I read to the family the little story Glen Gault shared on Facebook, of the young mother thrown out of a place to live in Lesotho, and how a pastor's family took her and her toddler in.
Glen watched the little child run past his window, clad in a new pink dress.
I couldn't read without tears.
We had such a happy Christmas.
But there were those with nothing, begging for a place to stay.
And a fellow Christian African reached out and took her in.
"Can we send some money for this little mother?" I choked to Jonathan.
He said yes.
And that is how our Christmas ends.
It's not just about us, our gifts, our games, our happiness, and our blessings.
It's about sharing with those less fortunate.
Jesus, thank You for leaving the riches of heaven to come to earth for us.
Teach us how, right in the middle of the love and joy You give us,
to care about others, and share the joy and love with them!
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