And a Happy New Year

It's hard to believe that it was a week ago tonight that I sat here with a full house above my head. Tonight is a lot quieter - but that's ok. I've never been much of a partier.

And I'm a little tired tonight, anyway.

So we'll end tonight and we'll end this year, as I think we ended last year - with this song and my best wishes for you in the year, and years to come...

Merry Christmas

As I sit here, it is still Christmas Eve - but only for another thirty minutes or so. I'm sitting here, waiting; waiting for a safe time to check Sam's night table to see if Santa has left him chocolates, and to be able to check it without him waking up.

Sam and Jake and Rachael and Helaina spent the evening making cookies, like they have every Christmas Eve. And before heading upstairs, Sam left his annual letter to Santa. 

There's a lot going on in that letter this year. There's a lot going on inside of him.

The stockings that were hung on the banister earlier this evening are now filled, and the presents are all under the tree. And I wait for it to be quiet upstairs. And I wait to be sure. 

This moment, I think, is my Christmas. To know that everyone is home and upstairs and safe - and that everything is taken care of, at least for one more night. 

At least for one more year.

In a few more minutes, I will head upstairs and hopefully find that Sam is asleep and I will hopefully see some candy on his nightstand - a sign that someone visited him tonight - someone that loves him and thinks that he's special. 

And I hope that he feels that love, and I hope that his brother and sisters do too - even though Santa no longer leaves candy on their nightstands.

I also hope that you have a very merry Christmas and I hope that the coming year is good and kind to you. 

Merry Christmas.

'Tis the Season

Here's some more Christmas music to get you in the mood. This was great stuff... when I was five years old...

Let's start with this one, which currently has a high of fifteen "thumbs up" on YouTube, with one nonbeliever giving it a "thumbs down"...



Then of course, there is this classic, which by the way, has a whopping thirty-nine "thumbs up" on YouTube, with ZERO "thumbs down!" I'm pretty sure that 's some kind of record for a YouTube video. Feel free to sing along...



Before we conclude with one more song, here's a little history of this family calssic: This song you are about to hear was originally written in Latin, sometime in the later part of the first century A.D. For years, it was known only in isolated regions of southern and central parts of Europe.

It is believed to have originated as a personal mediation before slowly evolving over the coming centuries into an early Gregorian chant (circa 635 C.E.)  Eventually, it gained prominence as the centerpiece of annual sacred ceremonies; ceremonies which had first celebrated the winter solstice but later evolved into Christian celebrations. It was at these ceremonies where the chant would be sung daily, beginning with the day of the solstice and continuing until approximately January 15th (of our modern day calendar.)

For centuries, it remained almost entirely unchanged - and largely forgotten.

It wasn't until sometime around 1963 that the chant was finally translated into modern day English, where it was also put to music - becoming what we recognize today as the popular hymn which is still sung every holiday season, in churches all over the world. Enjoy.

Not Before?

Posted over the toilet in a public restroom...

I'm not sure what to say about this. To make it even more confusing, the toilets were the kind that flush automatically.

A Brief Conversation

Sam: (surprised and sounding happy): "So, you’re going to be home on Friday???"

Me: (flattered that he probably wants to spend some quality time together): "Yup! I sure am!"

Sam: "Maybe you can cook me some bacon!"

Wrapping Up

I've been spending the last week or so wrapping presents off and on, in preparation of Christmas. Even though I've cut back some this year, there's still quite a bit to wrap. At least it feels that way,

All the presents are here with the exception of one or two. One of them, which I ordered online, is late. Thankfully, it has a tracking number, but every time I look, it seems to be moving all around the state and nowhere near our house. I'm not quite sure what's going on. 

First it arrives in the central part of the State, where it seems to have parked itself for a few days, then it gets delivered to another post office - in the opposite direction from where I live. It gets parked there for a few days and then for some reason, it gets delivered back to the other post office, and it's been there for another three days.

A few years ago, I ordered some boots for Rachel and they somehow got shipped up to Alaska -and I don't live in Alaska. Fortunately, they eventually ended up at our doorstep in time for Christmas. I'm hoping the same holds true this time. We'll see.

Some Christmas Music

Let’s listen to some Christmas music!

I bought this CD, I think about twenty-five years ago- back when they used to have actual CD stores. I picked it up for a few dollars, thinking it might be something the kids would enjoy, and I was right. It quickly became a favorite.

I would sometimes play it in the house, but I would almost always play it whenever we would go on one of our may rides together - often just to look at the Christmas lights. The kids would sing along belting out, “Us be Santa…,” which I still feel is not only better, but somehow more appropriate as well.

I never would have imagined that after all these years later, I would still be listening to it. But Sam likes me to put it on when we run errands or when we are also looking at Christmas lights together.

And while he doesn’t belt out the tunes like his siblings did, it’s nice to hear him singing along, quietly to himself, stopping only to point out some more pretty lights. And, just like with his brother and sisters, if a song isn’t over when we pull into our driveway, we sit in the car together and listen until it ends.

I kind of like that, too.