It's officially Merry Christmas

 Froeliche Weinachten.

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   It's closing in on 1 AM and I am getting ready to go to bed. All the Christmas shopping, the wrapping, the making of goodie baskets, the signing of cards....all done.

  We had a lovely gathering of friends at the house on Friday night, and it was GOOD.  The soup was just right, the cookies were laid out in all their glory and the hot spiced cider filled the house with the dazzling aroma of cinnamon and cloves. There were 14 people and 4 dogs and only one small mishap.  lol  Old connections were strengthened, new ones were forged and all in all it was a rousing success.  The house was clean enough and the candlelight  and minimal Christmas decorations were perfect. I put together a snack tray of cream cheese and jalapeno and sweet red pepper jellies and everyone was knocked out by it. 4 people went home with jars of the jalapeno jelly.

 By the time it was all over, I felt happily beaten to death. lol  And while I sat on my big ole white butt, my husband and his brother cleaned up the last of the dishes that my 2 good friends didn't get done.  I could hear the boys in there, laughing and telling stories and I stuck my head in to ask if they were having flashbacks of their childhoods. My BIL said--No, he hasn't punched me yet. And they dissolved in laughter.

  I am so happy that my husbands brother was able to come down and spend this holiday with us...to see them together like this is heart warming, to say the least. The look in my man's eyes says it all.

  We have a 9 AM breakfast date at my son's house and then we'll take a nice walk somewhere before coming home to spend the rest of the day together. I'm baking a ham, and a turkey breast, and all the accoutrements.  I've invited my neighbors over if they want to come...they will be leaving on Monday to meet up with their grown children up in Wisconsin, so will be home alone for the Christmas Day, unless they have plans with some of their church family.  I emailed them tonight and haven't heard back...otherwise it will be just the 3 of us here for the feast.  Whatever happens will be exactly right.

  I am sitting here feeling especially blessed...to have friends and family, to have cyber friends that mean so much to me.  This blog means the world to me and the rich contacts I have made here are an absolute and complete blessing.  I got an email from Mama Pea telling me I won the Christmas Cookbook giveaway and I am tickled pink. Thanks!!!  I come here and read about your lives and your trials and your joys and am reminded once more just how connected we all are and how interdependent life is. I learn from you and maybe I even teach you from time to time. I am touched by the beauty of all of our lives and the small blessings that we share with one another. I am overcome with gratitude tonight and I wanted to take a minute to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart for being such an important part of my every day life. Thank you for sharing your life with me...your strengths and your weaknesses, your fortitude in the face of adversity and your pure true hearts.  You make me want to be a better person...you make me laugh and you make me cry and most of all, you make me write from my heart too.

  Merry Christmas to each and every one of you....may all the blessings of this world be yours.

Namaste.