Christmas 2020

The most wonderful time of the year has come and gone. I'll be busy counting down the next 320ish days until it's time to pull out my santas and deck the halls once again. This time last year, none of us could have guessed the crazy year 2020 would be for our world. And yet God knew. We've all weathered the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic with equal parts steely patience and immense frustration. God's grace has brought our family through to see another Christmas, and we are tremendously thankful for His strength and renewing of our faith.

 

As always, I was so busy hosting my favorite celebration of the year, Christmas Eve, that I didn't get even one picture. My good friend gave me this one above that she snapped of our girls. It's hard to believe we met 19 years ago and we've watched these four grow up to become beautiful young women on the inside and outside. That's a whole lotta long hair and white teeth, lol!

 

 

The husband and younger daughter worked on a 1000 piece Christmas puzzle. The older daughter and her ten pound beast lounged on the sofa. We cooked a huge pot of shrimp and crab gumbo on Christmas Day, with plenty of leftovers. After all of the prep for our evening appetizer palooza with friends/family on the 24th, we enjoyed a low key 25th.

I've been burning all of our Christmas candles, a la seance style, to get them gone by new years. The whole family helped me pack up my santa collection, so it was all put away by noontime on the 26th. I had enjoyed it for a bit more than six weeks and was sad to see it go, as usual. 

The younger daughter's boyfriend flew in for a visit from Charlotte yesterday, so we're hosting him through new years. He's getting entertained Texas style - hog and turkey hunting today, a visit to the lake house for a couple days, attending the game to watch the husband's precious Longhorns play in the Alamo Bowl, and then ending the week in Austin to ring in 2021. I pray it's a fresh start for us all, that God will bring an end to the pandemic and we can get back to a more normal existence. The girls want to take a family trip to Alaska this next summer - sounds like fun to me. I'm ready to get back to my travel bucket list.

I pray God meets you wherever you are in the new year. That you turn to His words in the Bible for guidance and strength. I re-read the book of Luke in December and I was reminded of God's amazing gift to humanity that ensured our salvation, Jesus Christ. I fervently hope you feel His presence, the Holy Spirit, in your life. May you be blessed with health, peace and strengthening faith in all the Lord offers for His glory, both in this life and the next. Oh come let us adore Him, indeed, for He is good and His faithfulness and love endures forever.