I don’t really have much to say today, but feel compelled to just say ‘hello.’ I’m headed back to work for two days, and then it will be Christmas! Since I have minimized my gift buying to the bare minimum, I really have had a lot of quiet days. Today I spent most of the day cleaning and straightening things up, because my sister and dad are coming up for Christmas. I get to fix dinner! I have a simple menu planned, and am really looking forward to having a Christmas day at home, and especially being in my own house on Christmas night. Being the single person in the family, I was always the one to travel to other people’s houses. I am looking forward to a quiet Christmas morning, with a raspberry scone and a cup of my gingerbread coffee, and a nice walk with the doggies (a la Juice!) I hope to spend some time reading my Bible and worshipping the Lord, and not be so frenetic preparing for the day that I forget the real meaning.
My menu is simple: ham (ended up getting one of those brown sugar spiral sliced ones,) slimmed down buffet potatoes, one sweet potato per Dad’s request, and fresh green beans. I have shrimp cocktail for appetizers. Might do some apple/laughing cow cheese/walnut things also. And for dessert I have some cookies from the church bake sale in the freezer and one of the world’s best pies from Apple Hill–apple blackberry sourcream pie==YUMM!!. I really have held off on any baking this year. If there is time on Christmas, I might make Lori’s ginger cookies, and /or I might do a healthy re-do of my grandma’s cinnamon walnuts. Walnuts are one of my all time favorite foods, and I have been eating a lot of them recently.
I really hope all of you will take some time in the next few days to sit and relax, enjoy the beauty of the season, and reflect on what is important to you. Blow the rest away. Merry Christmas, everyone!
debby weighs in 
Have a wonderful time celebrating Jesus’ birth.
Kathie
http://www.chamomilemassage.wordpress.com
Merry Christmas Debby! As of 7:45am this morning, I am finished with the shopping! I’m so happy that I can finally relax and spend time with my kiddos tonight and just hang out. I still have some baking to do, but that’s fun for me, so I’m not stressed about that.
Your Christmas morning sounds great! A few years ago, Shawn and I decided that we wanted to be alone with our kids on Christmas morning – we do that Santa thing and then we just have some quiet time with our little family. We are very protective of this and it’s the one time I can count on for peace during the hectic holidays. I love it!
Merry Christmas my friend! 🙂
just your sister or your sister’s whole family? Do I remember that her kids are grown? Daughters maybe?
I can see that being single you would have been nominated to be the flexible one and would always have had to travel. I would love to have a sister that loved to decorate and cook – and would have gladly traded it around to say – the single one has more time and therefore should hostess!
We have always been home for Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter. My husband’s family is all over the country. So that very first year – we could see how his mom’s expectations would come to involve spending each and every holiday on the road – so we NEVER started that habit. Very glad. I did not want kids to think that was holidays.
And my mom always asked what was easiest when the kids were little.
And now my mom is two blocks away. And in some ways she now has the ‘little kid’ that we work around. We eat at my mom’s because it is much easier in dealing with her husband.
I honestly don’t know what we are even having. We pretty much eat the same holiday or not – so it rarely involves extra shopping. but I suppose I had better call my mom and ask!
If I don’t catch you before – have a wonderful day with your family!
Have a lovely Christmas, Debby!
Very merry Christmas to you, Debby! It sounds like you have a wonderful day planned. We’re home for Christmas; like Vickie, our family is spread out enough to not have anyone expect us to make the annual appearance. My upbringing was a little unconventional, too–divorced parents, parents working at a hospital so not always off at the holidays–so we always appreciated the times we did get to spend holidays together. (And having heard horror stories about balancing family expectations, I’m intensely grateful!!!)
Merry Christmas! It was always the same for John and I being the ones without kids. We were the ones who always did the traveling and spent Christmas day away from our own home. I love now that we live near family and are hosting dinner!
Have a wonderful holiday!
Merry Christmas, Debby!
Merry Christmas!