Happy Christmas!

I love Christmas. I wouldn't choose to have it any other way but the way my family celebrates. Final preparations and lots of church on Christmas Eve, then up the next morning to do presents with our immediate family before brunch and presents with my mom's family. Then back home to cook while my dad and brother pick up my dad's mom, more presents with her, then my mom's family comes over for a big dinner with the whole family. Often we'll have games after, though nearly as often one or more groups of the family have other Christmas obligations still to fulfill - such as this year, when many of us hadn't finished presents yet. Then my parents leave to take my grandmother back while my brother and I get the extreme honor and privilege of cleaning up. It's a marvelous day and a half, full of both worship and family.

I do look back with a certain fondness, however, on the days when church was over when the 4 pm pageant was over instead of coming home at 1 am or so, and we were well-rested for Christmas Day when we got up, instead of dragging ourselves out of bed at 8 am after six or seven hours of sleep (which is really not enough for any of us but my dad), and when we were young enough to play with our new toys between brunch and dinner instead of working (as much as I love cooking, after that kind of morning I'm ready for a rest now). Here's hoping my parents get home soon, so they can decide what they want to do with the rest of the turkey and the roasting pan, so we can all go to bed.

I've just heard a car door, so I'll just hope that everyone else had as happy a holiday as I did, and go on about the business of finishing up for the night.