Wonderful Christmas Day

Jess, his sister Barbara, and I spent a wonderful Christmas Day together yesterday. The only thing missing for it to be perfect was Leo! We tried not to make too much food since there were only the three of us, but failed miserably. My refrigerator and freezer are both full now. I'm glad Leo will be home within the week to help me get rid of some of it!

I had originally planned not to do any decorating. I actually own tons of decorations but because they've been packed up for years, I'm not really sure where they are or what condition they are in. [We already know that 2010 is going to be a year of "unpacking", a process that will be long, slow, and sometimes painful.] But my girls told me that having the family holiday party next week at my house without any decorations would be "cheating", so I decided to put up a few.

I found my 25-year-old Christmas tree and it appeared to be in good shape, so I put it together and found a nice spot for it. I gave myself a budget of $100 to spend and bought garlands, lights, and ribbons (big sale!) enough to help out a little. Since I have no idea where any ornaments were, and the tree was looking a bit Charlie Brownish with nothing on it, I decided to put up my hand-tied ribbons to dress it up a bit. It's not fancy, and not really that pretty, but it's also not bare anymore! I'm sure I'll locate my ornaments before next Christmas, but for this year, a ribbon tree will have to do.

I learned a long time ago about buying a roll of ribbon and a spool of florist's wire and making my own bows. Although they don't look very professional, most people don't look closely enough to notice. And the cost for tying my own as opposed to purchasing pre-made bows, well, it's amazingly inexpensive. So, I've got garlands, lights, and bows spread all over the living area, a look that is not half bad if I do say so myself.

Our big entertainment of the day was a challenging puzzle that kept us busy. Actually, the puzzle kept ONE of us so engrossed that the ham and green bean casserole were both cold at the time they were served! We ate our meal sitting at the bar since our table was taken up by the puzzle. I've decided the bar is EXACTLY what I hoped it would be and look forward to many more meals there in the future.

We ate and played, laughed and joked, shared stories and memories, and basked in the glow of treasured friendships. I hope your Christmas Day was just as memorable!

Merry Christmas!!

Although I've thought long and hard over the past couple of months about whether or not to continue this blog, I've decided to give it one more shot. Our lives are quite busy, as everyone's are, but this still seems to be a nice way to keep everyone informed. I will also remind you all that a nice way for you to "interact" with me easily is to post comments here as well.

2009

What a year we've had! We enjoyed watching our nephew's high school baseball team win at state (Go Danbury!) We watched as Jess came through his surgery with flying colors. Although we lost one of our dear ones, Leo's sister Grace, earlier this year, Leo was able to see it in a positive light when he reminded me that this is the first time in many years that his sister, mother and father are together on Christmas! We welcomed another grandchild into the family. We brought one of our daughters in to the family business and watched her take ownership of it beyond our wildest expectations. We were thrilled when I was accepted into the PhD program at Texas Tech. And we FINALLY saw our house get floors, lighting, fans, furniture, a master bathroom to die for and the kitchen of our dreams!!! We have truly been blessed this year and have so very much to be thankful for as the year comes to a close.

To those of you who, like us, are practicing Christians, we wish you a wonderful Christmas and joy as you celebrate Christ's birth with your families. To our many wonderful friends of other faiths and beliefs, may the blessings of the season be on you and your families. And to all, we extend our hopes that 2010 will be a year of love, peace, prosperity, and accomplishment.

With all our love, Leo and Bea Amaya