After church we came home and had a "picnic" supper in the living room: garlic bread, cheese and crackers, fruit, and sweets. Then Jonathan went to bed, but Allison stayed up with me and Richard and we watched the first half of "It's a Wonderful Life." For the past several years Rich and I have watched this movie together on Christmas Eve and opened our gifts to one another, but now that Allison is older we need to adjust our traditions somewhat. We opted to watch the movie over two nights so we wouldn't be up too late!
Christmas morning was picture-perfect: a soft blanket of fresh snow, and bright sunshine. Jonathan was thrilled with a new puzzle and a "Super Why" DVD; Allison was thrilled with her new laptop and spent most of the day using it. Richard gave me 2 tickets to hear the "Canadian Tenors" here in Kingston in late February -- just what I wanted! :-)
While I prepared our Christmas meal, Richard and Jonathan went to Rideau School to do yellow-blue-red; some things just have to happen, holiday or no holiday!
Richard's mom arrived around 1 p.m. and we had a nice meal together, topped off with cake for Jesus' birthday. Jonathan thinks any special meal should involve cake and candles, so we've made this a part of our family's tradition, too.
We spent the rest of the day hanging out, reading, listening to Christmas music, etc. In the evening Allison and I went for a walk to see the Christmas lights; then we came home and had another casual supper; then we watched the rest of "It's a Wonderful Life." Such a great movie! When Harry Bailey raises a glass and says, "A toast to my big brother George, the richest man in town," it's such a touching moment. This Christmas we felt rich and blessed too: our Christmas was simple in many ways but we were healthy and happy and could really enjoy it.
How lovely Jeannie! I'm so glad you invited me over to your blog.
ReplyDeleteIt's a Wonderful Life is one of my all time favorites. Such a good film to share with our children.
Love your pictures and the "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake is such a great idea!
Thank you for sharing! Blessings:)
Thanks so much for stopping by, Adriana. I've been kind of a lazy blogger this past year, but this fall I got inspired by the blogs I was reading online (Tim's & others') and realized blogging -- like life I guess -- is all about being yourself and sharing your life with others: i.e. it can be fun, not a chore! I had such a good time with my Advent series and while I can't promise to be that regular in the future, it kind of rejuvenated my enjoyment of bloggery. So ... here's to sharing our lives with each other. See you soon at "yours or mine"!
Delete"Peace and good will to all men" is what I thought of as I read your lovely post. A simple, joy-filled Christmas. These are days we will cherish all our lives: no hype, no noise, just love and lots of it!
ReplyDeleteSo true, Sarah! I remember one (non-holiday) Saturday several years ago when the kids were little, asking Allison what the best part of her day had been. She said, "I liked it when we bounced on the bed." We sometimes think big events, trips, etc. will be the memory-makers for our family -- but sometimes it's just ... bouncing on the bed. :-)
DeleteJeannie, thanks for stopping by my blog and taking the time to comment. I love all these simple traditions. We had a quiet Christmas at home as well. It was nothing like my Christmases growing up, but it was lovely and perfect for our little family. We even had a very uncharacteristic snowfall to add to the magic. I like the idea of a birthday cake for Jesus. I think that might help Nathan connect the holiday with the meaning a little more. Maybe we'll try that this next year.
ReplyDeleteOur son (he's 10) is on the Autism Spectrum. He has little interest in gifts as such, but a new jigsaw puzzle and a new DVD are always well received. Special food, perhaps a visit from Grandma, and a trip to the playground make a happy day for him. We never travel for Christmas or have a houseful of people -- just simple traditions for the 4 of us. Thanks for visiting -- drop by any time!
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