Christmas Eve

It was a pretty low-key Christmas eve. I had the idea that I needed just a few more strings of Christmas lights for decorating, and so I got into the storage area of the downstairs and tore some things apart. In the end, I did find two strings of functional lights. And I organized some things better, so it's all to the good.

I took the one strand of lights and wound them around the round red chair that Sock Monkey has been sitting on since we put the Christmas tree up. When we lit it all up, hoo boy, did it look festive! 

On the chair, Sock Monkey and the Moose are hanging out, still amazed by the tree. Sock Monkey is wearing a very festive red Christmas hat with a round white ball on the end. Moose is watching for Santa Paws!

My husband and I had planned a nice supper, but never got around to making it. So I punted, and made us cinnamon rolls instead, with extra cinnamon icing (hand made by me). Boy, were those good. 

We ate those warm and tasty cinnamon rolls while watching It's a Wonderful Life on TV, as we contemplated the difference that one life can make in the grand scheme of things. And yes, I cried, again, as I do every single time.

I don't know what your situation is, but if you celebrate Christmas, we wish you a happy one from here in central Pennsylvania. Perhaps, like us, you are having a very different sort of Christmas this year. My family always celebrated Christmas so joyfully. I have many treasured memories, photos, and stories.

If you are sick or sad or lost, or contemplating some mighty sorrow, my heart is right there with you. I hope you can work your way through the weirdities to find some new sort of happy(ish) version of normal, perhaps even in the face of staggering losses. And we promise to do the same.

Happy Christmas, in spite of it all!

I wanted a Christmas tune to go with this festive posting, and here is one I have loved since the early 1980s, when a boy I knew and loved sang it accompanied by his guitar: John Michael Talbot, with Wonderful Counselor.