Away in a Manger

Our granddaughter Maddy has been staying with us for awhile and things have been a lot more interesting.  I made the decision to leave the very fragile nutcracker decorations packed away this year, for my own sanity, but the play nativity would be perfect. Although Maddy is only 1, it was time for her to hear the Christmas story.  She loved to sit and listen about how God stepped into our world, and that's how our faith like a child begins.  
And when you're one, it's okay to carry baby Jesus around in your mouth.

On the 89th Day of Christmas

I was talking to someone on the phone yesterday and they said they were in the middle of taking Christmas down. Oh my goodness!! Christmas was about a billion years ago now. I love the Christmas tree and lights and decorations...until about one second after Christmas Day and then it all annoys me.
Luckily I have a son just like me. He usually starts asking right after we open our gifts if I want him to take everything down. I don't allow him to, mostly because it's his birthday on Christmas and he shouldn't have to work that hard. The next day though he's hauling crates down from the attic and packing everything up. All the kids help and in a couple of hours the entire holiday season has been dragged away. With so many packing so quickly I lose a few things each year. This time a poor nutcracker lost his shoe and his entire head cracked away from his neck. Small price to pay to have my house back to normal.
I have friends who like to "savor" the holiday and there it is - all sitting there well into January. And people are still turning on their outside Christmas lights every night. (My son Kevin and I used to play a game when we drove around in January, imposing imaginary fines per day for decorations on houses after January 4th.) It's not too bad since they're not on my house, but I have major objections to still blowing up those air-filled decorations in January. Okay, I hate them even in December. And if they're not bad enough all blown up, what's with them laying all over the yard, dead and deflated during the day? Looks like a serial holiday killing.
Here's my sincere apologies to all those who love the blow up stuff.
I'm really not a Grinch, I'm just always ready for the next thing.
3 cups of coffee - no Ridilin please.

Time to Relax

The flurry of Christmas is over and now begins my favorite part of the season. This week there is nothing to do but relax and enjoy each other and play with new toys. Our boys each got a Craftsman tool box loaded with tools and are changing brakes and taking apart everything they can get their hands on. Grace got an electric guitar and Anna a keyboard and they've been living in imaginary "girl band" mode. Gabby is happily creating masterpiece after masterpiece with all her new art supplies.
With so many siblings it would have been difficult for them to buy gifts for each other so my Dad suggested that they all had to exchange gifts from the Dollar Store. It was great fun and the big popular items were the the disguise nose and glasses and the "Bling Grills".
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to play with my new photo editing software before anyone wakes up.