Christmas Review

Of course Christmas was as wonderful as I expected. And it started early in December when we went to a Christmas production starring our two oldest grandchildren, Kinley and Knox.ks-in-christmas-play

The night before Christmas, the three oldest grandchildren led our annual reading of the Luke 2 story of Jesus’ birth. Even Finn, the first grader, took a turn and did an excellent job. Sharing our love of the Bible with our family always centers us and gives us a better perspective than the next day would bring.

grands-on-stairsWe got our usual picture on the stairs as the children came down on our “Christmas morning.” At our house, that’s whatever day everyone can be there. All of our children and grandchildren spend the night and we approximate what we always did with our children when they were young. We make it clear to the children that the stockings they get at our house are filled by us—not Santa.

We go youngest to oldest, finding our stocking loot. Then we take a break from our conspicuous consumption to fix breakfast for all. christmas-breakfast-tableWe all pitch in to help while the little ones play with their stocking toys and the older children distribute the gifts that were under the tree. This year our fruit was in the form of a yogurt parfait and after that we had baked stuffed French toast that had a yummy cranberry filling.

Then back to the living room to open the gifts. What a haul! We had lots of laughter and even a few tears. knox-with-hat

Gifts we gave ranged from a baby doll for the almost-2 granddaughter to a vintage Knox hat in its original box to Pokémon cards to a Galaxy tablet for the 15-year-old granddaughter.
Everyone seemed delighted with what they received. I certainly was!

The most unusual gift we received was tickets to the Kentucky Derby in May. All four of our children will go with us and we’ll enjoy two days—the Oaks on Friday, May 5, and the Derby on Saturday, May 6. What a marvelous event to look forward to! We’ve never been. Any suggestions about what hat I should wear?

The most unusual gift we gave, I think, was new connectors for our son-in-law’s outdoor faucets. It was his request and will be most useful to stop the drips and leaks. Most was typical clothes, games, and jigsaw puzzles. Each family got a puzzle: I gave one to each family and I received one that was of our family! I’ve already put it together and it was such fun.family-puzzle

Our Christmas dinner was fun and delicious, featuring Steve’s smoked brisket. Then we played games and finally were off to bed. (This reminds me that I never let my students write a “bed to bed” story, but I guess I did it myself this time!)

The next morning we enjoyed the live nativity (except for the people) at the Krohn Conservatory. We loved the animals and the distinctive smell of the stable. And best, of all, we enjoyed it and then lunch together. An excellent end to a wonderful family Christmas!grands-at-nativity-scenenativity

But there was more. On Christmas Sunday, both of our youngest grandchildren participated in the Christmas program featuring the children of our church. landry-cam
Landry held her doll while we sang “Away in a Manger,” and Finn read a portion of Luke 2 in front of the congregation. The entire service was inspiring! The participants—all children who are part of our church family—went from adorable to sophisticated and all did a great job of presenting the story of the birth of Jesus.

finn-readingPraise God for the gift of His Son and the salvation He brought to the world!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

6 Comments

  1. I laughed out loud as I read your “bed to bed” comment. I had JUST been thinking about that as I read! Kudos to you for writing what you want to write and owning it.

    For the Oaks, most people wear some pink since the races are run by fillies and mares. You could wear another color with pink accessories, of course, but lots of people will be in all pink. There is a Susan G. Komen tie-in, too.

    Any colors are great on Derby day!

    You’ll need hats for both days, though there are no rules for the size they should be (unlike at Ascot). Fascinators are easier to wear, but brimmed hats provide more sun protection. Choose what you think you can stand for 12 or so hours.

    Choose dresses that make you feel pretty but are also fairly comfortable. Wear heels but take flats or flip flops in your purse for wearing at your seat. (We’ll be standing up on our bleacher seats during the big races, so you don’t want track dirt from your shoes on your seat and you don’t want to fall off in heels.)

    I think you’re less likely to see someone else wearing your dress if you choose something from a previous season, but I guess nothing is fool proof. Just don’t wear Vineyard Vines or Lilly Pulitzer. Everyone does.

    That’s my Derby/Oaks advice! Take it or leave it!

    • All this advice is priceless! Thanks so much. I’m also thinking something with a jacket would be good since the weather is always iffy that early in May. Kelsey and I plan to go hat-shopping around Easter time.

  3. Carol Wuest

    Absolutely loved reading the Christmas review. Such an example of what Christmas is all about. The Birth of our Savior is celebrated as all birthdays should be. We sing, we eat, we love and we accept gifts just as the Magi gave gifts to the Infant Jesus. God bless your family and have a Happy and Healthy 2017, Sharing your Christmas with us was a joy to our family.

Comments are closed.