Christmas time…this year seemed different. I can’t really pin point something overly spectacular or why I believe it was so different…it just was. Jeremy and I did a lot shopping early on, and although we ventured out amid the hustle and bustle…we weren’t necessarily feeling that way.
Maybe it all started with the sniffles…
As soon as preschool ended Peanut got the runny nose…ugh. He slowly gave it to Jeremy and I and by Saturday, December 18th, Jeremy was in the bed. By Sunday, I felt what he did and we were both down for the count. Those are sweet parenting days when you say, “Boys, please don’t kill each other, and here’s all the food you’ll need in the pantry.” Now, it wasn’t REALLY like that, but it sure felt like it. I briefly remember going to Kroger that Sunday morning (in a head cold fog) and the guy behind the Prescription counter must have asked me three times if I needed help! Good gravy, I must have looked AWFUL! Of course, by Sunday, Boo had it too…we were just all crummy and yucky. What a way to start Christmas break!
By Monday, we were on the mend and we loaded up with Mucinex, Tylenol Cold, Robitussin…you name it, we had it.
Christmas Eve was awesome as Boo got to read scripture in the service and I got to see some of my preschool friends! We went to the early service and we only took our oldest. The little one stayed home with my momma, who always comes Christmas Eve and spends the night! She loves watching their faces in the morning when they get up, half-asleep, and see what Santa has brought them! Jeremy stayed for the second service to serve Lord’s Supper, so Boo and I headed home and had a great chat about what Christmas really means to us. He’s growing up so fast!! *tear* The best present came later that night when we got to Skype with my family in Florida! I have missed them and to see them…all of them…was so GREAT!!! I have asked the Lord to take that memory and forever write it on my heart, because there was nothing like it.
On Christmas Day we were up early and all the presents had been unwrapped and opened by 9:00 AM…even before the first phone call came in, we were done…breakfast timer was going off, and we were ready to enjoy the day together. We were anticipating snow later in the day, so my mom headed out after we had a delicious salmon dinner. And we had to get ready to go to Nana and Papa’s house after church the next day!
The day after Christmas was fun at Jeremy’s parents…everyone got what they wanted and being together was fun. We broke tradition and had lasagna and salad and it was delicious!!! I will say though, after having such a full house at Thanksgiving at their place, it almost seemed empty without the West and Phipps family there too!! Still fun and the kids had a great time playing. The roads were still bad from the snow the day before, so we hurried along to make it home before dark…it was a little scary around the Acworth area, but once we hit 285 things seemed to settle down.
And just like that, it was all over.
As fast as it came, it was now gone.
We spent the next week cleaning the house, organizing all the new stuff, purging for the next consignment sale, and getting rid of our tree. By New Year’s, there was no sign of that anything had taken place…although, we were ready to say goodbye to 2010. It was a year of closing chapters, and we were ready (still am) for the next chapter God is writing. We ushered in the New Year just like we have the past few years…I never stay awake for the Ball Drop anymore and normally around Midnight we hear fireworks going off in the neighborhood, wake up, turn over to each other and say “Happy New Year!”. Romantic, I know. Please, don’t be jealous.
Ahhh…Happy 2011 from the Fishbowl.
Karen
