Christmas Delights

And Other Notes from Home . . .

Yesterday was the twelfth, last day of Christmas. It’s always a bittersweet day, as we begin packing away all the Christmas decorations, and sweep up the crumbs of the last Christmas cookies. I still have thank-you notes to finish, and the kitchen could use a good re-set. I’m sad to put away the Christmas music (and I might keep a little bit out for awhile, yet), but in the midst of all that, I’m looking forward to the fresh start that January always seems to offer.

Thanksgiving kind of kicks off the Advent/Christmas season around our house, and this year, although the time was short, the days were . . . well, let’s just say that a lot happened around here. Here are some of the highlights . . .

We usually have framed Christmas pictures sitting out over the Christmas season, but one year on vacation, we came across a “Christmas ship” cleverly designed to hold photographs. We use it to highlight a collection of themed photos most years (unless we’ve forgotten where we packed the ship away.) This year we spotlighted photos from Christmas 1999, and almost everyone spent time perusing the pictures, laughing, asking questions, and remembering different aspects of that now long-ago Christmas. The overwhelming consensus was that all of us looked so young! And hasn’t time flown by since then?

We brought in some rosemary and lemon thyme this fall, to winter-over in front of a stairway window. They smell delicious when you brush against them, going up or down the stairs, but during a Christmas visit, we discovered the 1-year old really likes the baby in the Nativity on the stair landing, but she also loves the lemon thyme, harvesting a little bit every time she went past it, clutching it in her fist. We could tell where she was by the fragrance that trailed after her.

As often happens, “real life” intruded into the celebration as a daughter-in-law mourned the loss of a beloved grandfather, and some family members traveled cross-country to attend a funeral, observing Christmas away from home, but knowing we were keeping them in prayer as they mourned and traveled.

But mostly, the days before Christmas were crowded with concerts and dinners and visits and wrapping. Lots of wrapping. But somehow everything was wrapped in time (that means before the gift recipient was settled in the living room), the kitchen was busy with breakfasts and lunches and dinners and snacks and treats, and we spent time together as a family unwrapping and talking and feasting and celebrating the One who makes our love for each other both possible and sweet.

All in all, it was a memorable Christmas, and we learned that as long as Christ is at the center of the celebration, traditions can shift and bend as needed.

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A winter baking project: sourdough. I’ve tried it before, some years ago, and we’ll just say it didn’t go well, and leave it at that. This time the starter has really started, and the kitchen smells fragrant with hope. We’ll see how it goes.

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Garden catalogs are arriving, or as we call them around here, The Catalogs of Temptation. And days already seem a bit longer, with daylight until a little after we start thinking about dinner. All of which means that Epiphany may be just beginning, but spring is coming, too. May you enjoy this in-between season of rest and renewal! And thanks for reading these Notes from Home!