What Did I Love About Christmas Most?

We have always been blessed to spend Christmas with our families. Every year, except one, we have taken turns going to my parents or my in-laws. That one year we spent by ourselves - well, we decided to put it out of our minds forever- so we don't count it anymore. We are both the oldest of seven children and over the years we have accumulated many in-laws, nephews, nieces, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. Big families are the best and I would never want it any other way.

This year was my husband's year and so we trekked to the mountains and joined about 40 other family members to celebrate love, family and the birth of the One who made it all possible. We had a fantastic time.

We were so blessed to have been offered the use of a condo at a ski resort that, due to the economy and the fact that it was built "too much too fast" is in foreclosure. It is an incredibly beautiful place that seemed very uncharacteristically quiet and forlorn. We loved it. It was big enough to house our kids and grandkids and we enjoyed every single minute of it. We slept in each morning and rose to coffee and leisurely breakfasts. We spent afternoons and evenings at my mother-in-laws house visiting family and playing games. It was an amazing time and the pictures at the end of this post will testify to that.

But I found myself enjoying the simple things the most. Things like:

* The beautiful, beautiful snow. It added such a quiet and peaceful elegance to our surroundings. Snow makes everything so hushed. I was standing outside one afternoon just looking at the beauty around me. Suddenly there was a magnificent whirr in the air and I looked up and heard a bird flying away. Have you ever heard a bird fly? It was a most reverent moment. Life doesn't usually afford me the luxury of enjoying such a simple, yet majestic thing.

* The cold, cold air. It was about 7 degrees - really, really cold. Have you ever heard how loud snow crunches when it is so cold? It is really loud. And when you poke a hole in the snow when it is so cold, the hole glows blue. It's reflection from the sky but it is the most beautiful color of blue I have ever seen.

* At night when the light of the moon shines on the snow it sparkles like a million diamonds have been sprinkled down from the sky. What a sight to see.

* This year having two grandbabies to live in a condo with for five days was the greatest gift of all. What fun they were as we enjoyed every moment we could with them. They were just precious.

* There is nothing like soaking in a hot tub at night under the stars. I won't even bother trying to describe the beauty of it - I don't know the words.

* Coffee in the morning with the ones you love most in the whole wide world.

* Watching The Sound of Music and eating popcorn in the evening with the ones you love most in the whole wide world.

With families as big as ours you can't possibly do everything together. And so family groups did their own thing and then we came together and ate and played games. It was probably one of the most relaxing times I have had in a long, long time.













I will be posting again soon to share some very interesting news. One thing is for sure, life is never, ever boring.

And I have been praying for a Word for the year as so many of my blogging friends do. This will be my first year and I have to say that as I have prayed I have felt a bit nervous to do so. One word in particular keeps coming to mind so I am guessing I have received it. I plan to share it soon.

God is good. All the time.