Christmas 2024

Another lovely Christmas season is in the books. We hosted thirteen at our home for Christmas Eve, and there were twelve of us at the brother-in-law's house on Christmas Day. I was so busy hostessing and enjoying the company that I didn't snap one picture of the family and friends in attendance. Alas, I did end up with a few of the food prep and dogs, which cracks me up. Pictures are nice, but these sweet memories will live on in my heart and mind even if I didn't document them on social media. 

Yesterday I put in many hours getting all of my Christmas decor stored for another year, and the house put back to rights so I can relax in the run up to a lazy new year. It has been four months since the pumpkins went up to replace my usual decor, and so it's always nice to rediscover my shelves of travel display keepsakes as I put everything back where it belongs. 

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday spent creating precious memories with family and friends, and that you also remembered the real reason we celebrate December 25, the precious gift of God incarnate come to walk amongst His creation. This year I made my annual December effort to appreciate God's great love for us in the form of Jesus sent to mankind for our salvation, and really enjoyed my two advent devotionals. It's the gift that keeps on giving to each successive generation when we share His good news with those in our sphere. The Lord can't grow believers if we aren't doing our part to plant the seeds of belief for Him. Go tell it on the mountain, indeed. I'll see y'all in 2025 - be safe out there!

 

A little seasonal basketball

We haven't attended an NBA match-up in a few years, so decided to take our girls and their significant others to a recent game. I wanted to see the new Spurs phenom player Wenbanyama from France that's really young, and seems to tower over the other skyscrapers who play professional basketball alongside him. After checking him out in person I think Wemby appears so tall because he's skinny and has really long limbs. We had a pretty good time, but I've gotta say the entertainment we've enjoyed at Spurs games near Christmas in years past made it much more fun because it engaged the fans in the stands.  

The Spurs coyote mascot made an appearance near our seats to pose for pics with some kiddos, which I thought was really sweet. I've gotta admit the fans waving sets of those inflatable white baton things behind the opponent's goal were busy bees in the second half, trying to keep Atlanta from scoring. The Spurs pulled out a win in the end, but it was a tight game all evening long.

Another college grad in the family

Our niece graduated from UTSA recently with her degree in education. Best of all, she already interviewed for and accepted a third grade teaching job before she received her newly minted BS degree with summa honors. The husband and I hosted a celebratory dinner in her honor at a local steakhouse and it was a lot of fun. We're so proud of all she has accomplished, and know the teaching profession is lucky to get her.

Where are the Christmas temps?!

Good golly Miss Molly, we're pushing into the upper 70s today, so the pre-Christmas cold snaps we recently enjoyed are history. Boo-hiss-thumbs down! I'm gonna be really bummed if I can't enjoy wearing more of my festive sweaters over the course of the next week.

I've got a feeling this holiday will be reminiscent of the ones I recall when I was a kid. You know what I'm talking about, Texas folks. The ones where santa came through with a bike and you took it for a spin while wearing shorts and a t-shirt. The Christmases when your parents had to crank up the air conditioner because no one wanted to eat their holiday meal while sweating. Years when the only blaze you gathered around for the holidays was dad burning trash in an old oil barrel out behind the house rather than in the fireplace.

In anticipation of cooler weather, I bought our cairn girl Pepper a new heated throw for her dog bed. Finn, our human teen-aged cairn, prefers snuggling down on the bed with us when it's chilly. As for the CPA daughter's chorkie, he's always wanting a spot in the nearest lap when we're asked to dogsit him. The husband's lap is where he prefers to spend most evenings, especially when there's a lap blanket involved.  

 

A change of seasons

It's that time of year, when fall foliage in the Texas hill country finally makes its appearance after Thanksgiving. My little crepe myrtle in the side yard is about stripped bare now thanks to a couple recent windy cool fronts. I find great comfort in remembering the Good Lord has a plan for everything, from the trees to you and me. There are no coincidences in life. Our sovereign God uses everything that happens for His perfect purposes. And so there's no need to fret or lose your cool. Everything will be worked out according to His all encompassing plan. 

The trees dropping their leaves, and the grass turning to something resembling hay lately, is all part of the beauty of nature that our Heavenly Father created. As sad as we often become when something ends... a good book, a season in life, or the loss of a loved one, we know that it's all happening as it should and God will be with us through it. Holidays won't always look the same, and that's okay. We grow, change and adjust to new normals that are just as sweet as the ones we cherish from our past. This Christmas season I pray you're able to focus on precious time spent in the company of family and friends as you create new memories. Don't get so caught up in the rigamarole of holiday demands on your time (talking to myself here!) that you forget to recall once again the life changing appearance of God made flesh in a stable in Bethlehem all those centuries ago, and what it means to you today.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1 

 

Christmas light complication

Y'all, I'm gonna have to go out and rework the lights on our gate, dang it. I had the lighting pros do the serious stuff because I'm too old to be shimmying up a tall ladder to wrap our oak trees like candy canes. However, every year the husband and I are willing to decorate the front gate. I'm not sure how we missed it, or if they went out after we put them up, but I've got a couple small sections of the gate that are no longer lit. 

When I was out making a Walmart run yesterday, I bought some replacement lights for the gate. So now I need to haul my toasty self out into the brisk wind of this most recent cool front to remove the duds and get the new light strands in place. Which is annoying, doing it a second time. But I just can't have the gate looking as if santa's elves got into some spiked eggnog and did a crummy job decorating our home for Christmas. I'm just glad the interior decorations are hanging in there and not giving me any trouble.

Loving the seasonal weather

I'm one of those folks who enjoys the cold temps. Mind you, not the snow and ice on the ground people. But rather the sort of weather that allows me to wear jeans and boots plus a chunky sweater without having to run the AC. Cold enough that I can turn on the seat warmers and heated steering wheel in my SUV. That sort of cold which adds to my enjoyment of the Christmas season. This week I cooked a big old pot of beef vegetable soup with a pan of cheesy cornbread just like my sweet granny Doris used to make. It's definitely feeling like the holidays are right around the corner, y'all, and I'm thoroughly excited about enjoying this festive time of year with family and friends.

A short slide to Christmas

After a hectic fall leading up to the wedding, I've more or less hit smooth sailing through the holidays. My brother-in-law and his wife hosted a lovely Thanksgiving feast for family last week that we thoroughly enjoyed. My contribution was a spiral ham and fresh apple cake. We got to see the law school daughter for a few days before she returned to Dallas to study for semester exams. I finished getting the house and yard decorated for Christmas, so I'm enjoying the charm of it all. And the temps finally feel seasonal rather than summery. 

Now it's on to making menus and shopping lists for our immediate family Christmas on Dec 21, followed by our annual Christmas Eve gathering I host for my side of the family and a few friends, and then Christmas Day with the husband's side of the family. It looks like a lot as I put it all into words here, and yet I sincerely enjoy gathering with everyone to celebrate. The law student is always an excellent helper with Christmas prep once she wraps up final exams.

I've about decided I'm not a big fan of a short window between Thanksgiving and Christmas because it's less time to anticipate all of the fabulousness surrounding the most wonderful time of the year. I read the following excerpt in my "Devotions for Christmas" book I started on Dec 1 and it's a timely reminder to stay focused on the reason we celebrate this time of year, that it's not about presents but rather the presence of our God come to earth in human form as Jesus in order to save His creation. That's the greatest gift any of us will ever receive, one we should give thanks for every day, not just at Christmas time.

"Step off the crazy train and reclaim Christmas. What is the secret? Having a singular focus. We can choose not to rush the celebration of Christ's birth. This December, focus each day on Him - as Paul said, on the 'source and perfecter of our faith.' Even though at this very moment the stores are enticing us to focus on decorations, gifts and holiday treats, let's purposefully heed Paul's advice and keep our eyes on Jesus."

Happily ever after

They've been married for a week now, the older daughter and her new husband. It took us eighteen months to plan her big day, and yet felt like eighteen minutes for it to unfold. I had been warned it's a surreal, almost out-of-body experience when your child gets married. And so it was. What started at 8:15 am with hair and makeup flashed by at the speed of light to their big departure at 10:30 pm. We won't have the proofs from the photographer until the first of the year since she has the holidays to get through, and I assume the videographer has a similar timeline. So here are some of my behind the scenes pics I captured with my phone I kept hidden away in one of the four pockets I appreciated having in my mother-of-the-bride dress. Ooh la la, two pockets were even velvet lined, y'all. The festivities began with a rehearsal at St. Mary's Cathedral Friday afternoon, and culminated with their reception venue exit at The Arlo Saturday evening. Congratulations to the newest Mr. and Mrs. in our family. We pray the Lord blesses them with a long and happy life together!