Our Christmas in pictures

Joy to the World, the Lord has come! Merry Christmas, everyone!

The meatballs are cooking in the crockpot and the bread is rising for another hour. I can sit here and blog or take a nap. Sorry, dear readers, but I really need a nap. Here's a quick recap.

Brotherly love ;0)

Eight years ago, we brought home our best-ever Christmas present. Yes, it's Advent but you can't really move your birthday, can you? So, feast it was. We are so thankful that God gave us this wonderful reminder of His love.

There are a lot of other feast days during Advent but, for one reason or another, they didn't get as much attention this year (sigh...no play for Our Lady of Guadalupe's feast). We were traveling over St. Nicholas day but he did make a visit to the hotel, and we spent other days making cards for loved ones and others we don't know but whom should know the love that God has for them (our homeless friends that we are blessed to make sandwiches for once a month). Throw in a little bit of really, really good music, and it's a excellent way to be God(other)-centered and have fun.

Christmas Eve and Christmas day around here usually mean Adoration, Mass, food and family. I subbed for midnight going into Christmas Eve, got there 20 min early, the guy after me didn't show, and the guy after him came 10 min late...2 1/2 hours of God time....alone. Wow, thanks for that early Christmas Gift! I was reading Interior Castle and laughing about how we are to make a conscious effort to dedicate prayer time to God. Every time I thought I was finished, He decided to let me dedicate a little more. Our Loving Father :0)

Lots of baking and making (I have officially melted the wires on my mixer...it was smoking while I was making bread this morning). Special meals that mean tradition. Passing these on to our children is such a gift to me. Joining with my mom and aunt, who will one day be absent from our table, means even more. God is so good to give us the gift of both time alone and family time.

Prune for my mom and #1. Sweets for the sweet ;0)

I'm glad the mixer didn't die before the pagach was done!

mmm...crisp and delicious

dough balls with sauerkraut = bobalki...not my fav.

Finally we arrive at today, the joyous day of our Savior's birth! Since we were doing the Vilija last night, we continued our tradition of 7 AM Mass today. We were rewarded with our beloved priest and a church full of people who seemed to realize why we were there (this is why we get up so early ;0)). Even the babies were singing...it was lovely. After Communion, I heard G whisper, "look Dad, the light is coming". Sunrise during Mass...perfect.

Home to open some gifts. I tried to push the idea of trying out the new sleeping bags but everyone ignored me. I am SO excited to see the Fr. Leopold Lego setup...meet them where they are...they want Legos, give them Fr. Leopold ;0). Many, many things for which to be thankful. God is so very good.

In case I need proof of how much God loves me...it's all right there :0)

I've been enjoying other blogs, recounting others' Christmas weeks. It's lovely to see how many different ways people celebrate Our Lord's Birth and the days preceding. What a good and loving God we have to make us so different but all with the same desire to draw nearer to Him. How good that He saw fit to send His Son among us. We are so blessed.