I can’t think of anything better to say for Christmas Eve than what I said last year, with a few changes.
Family, food, travel, Christmas movies. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are probably two days when most people are too busy to pick up a book. (Of course, if you want to talk about a book, I’ll always read your note.)
Instead, I hope you’re enjoying your holiday traditions, however you celebrate. If that means quiet time, just for you, I hope you enjoy the solitude and the time to reflect. If you’re celebrating time with family and friends, I hope you appreciate them.
Celebrations change over the years. My family often celebrated on Christmas Eve because my
father worked shift work, and wasn’t always home on Christmas Day. And, we made Christmas Eve trips to my grandparents’ house, and then looked for Rudolph’s nose in the sky on the way home. Once I was married, Jim and I celebrated on Christmas Eve with food and special Christmas readings, “Yes, Virginia”, “The Gift of the Magi” and the Nativity story. This year, I’m heading to friends’ for dinner.
For those of you who miss loved ones this year, whose pain is fresh, or who remember family and friends who died much earlier, I wish you moments of peace. If you have faith, no one expresses the feeling of loss and peace better than Ryan Kelly does in the song he wrote, “Not Far Apart”.
Merry Christmas Eve! It may be a busy day for you, or the calm before the hecticness of Christmas Day. I wish you a few moments to yourself, a little quiet time, maybe for a Christmas reading or two. And, I wish you memories of those you love.
I love your Santa picture!
It's hard to have a celebration without loved ones. I'm blessed this year to have one son home, and a feast with our closest friends tonight, followed by a visit by our favorite young children (okay, and their parents) tomorrow. But I might squeeze in some reading – am greatly enjoying Joyce Tremel's debut mystery, To Brew or Not to Brew!
Merry Christmas, Lesa. So glad we had a chance to visit this fall!
Happy Christmas Lesa,
You are so good at finding the best in every situation – I hope you have a wonderful time.
I have just made goat's cheese bread and tomato & mint soup for lunch tomorrow. Thank goodness the elder daughter is taking over now! Christmas readings are a brilliant idea and I think I might just sit down and enjoy some (before someone or other says 'Oh?' in that way they do if they find me sitting down ANYWHERE!)
Best wishes,
Rosemary
Merry Christmas, Lesa!
Hope you have a great Christmas, Lesa.
It is good to remember, even with tears. Merry Christmas, Lesa, and best wishes for a peaceful, healthy, and rewarding new year.
Thank you! What lovely song. Merry Christmas to you! (oh…and I do plan on reading time!!)
Merry Christmas Lesa.
Merry Christmas, everyone! And, I'm so glad I had the chance to meet Edith, Bill & Jeff this year. If nothing else, this blog means I've had the chance to meet wonderful people.
Christmas hugs to all of you!
We are blessed this year to have both of our sons and our daughter-in-law here for Christmas Eve and Christmas itself. We always celebrate together, but of course Zach and Melany celebrate with her family as well (much bigger family than ours), so sometimes our Christmas with them is as much as a week early (like last year) or somewhat late. I guess the stars aligned this year, so it's very special. Can't wait for them to arrive around dinnertime.
We used to have our turkey dinner Christmas Eve (my mother was smart to start that tradition so she wouldn't be cooking on the big day), and we'd go out to breakfast and then have leftovers for dinner on Christmas. This year the turkey will be cooked (by me) tomorrow, and that's fine. Opening presents will be fun, and I'm looking forward to some cuttthroat card games as well.
This year we have something additional to celebrate–Melany's newly minted bachelor's degree in public health. She is graduating with straight A's and many outstanding accomplishments, and she has already begun a full-time job in her career field. She's the daughter we never had, and we couldn't be prouder.
Happy holidays to you, Lesa, and to all your many readers, and I look forward to seeing you again at Left Coast Crime in February!
Margie, It does sound as if you and your family have reasons to celebrate this year. It's so nice you're all together. (And, I get those cutthroat card games.) enjoy having all of the family home. Happy Holidays, Margie, to you, Mike, and your family. Yes! See you in just a few months!