Joseph, Mary, and their donkey have found shelter in the stable...
It is nearly time to celebrate the birth of our Lord.
On this fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve, we wish you a most blessed Christmastide!
May your hearts and homes have been well-prepared these past Advent days and may you truly rejoice in every encounter you have with Christ!
And, for fun, we also a share some snapshots of our Christmas Eve day...
From baking final Christmas cookies...
...to going out to deliver them to neighbors, singing some carols as we did, the morning and day were filled with merriment.
Our afternoon brought a choir concert, before Mass with Grammy and Grampy -- a true blessing!
Then, it was finally time to decorate the Christmas tree.
The children had been waiting and waiting all day - okay, all of Advent - to do just that!
The children had been waiting and waiting all day - okay, all of Advent - to do just that!
One child eagerly anticipated the return of Ben to our living room and decided he must go at one of the topmost places on our tree.
Another child, whose turn it was to put our traditional tinfoil star atop our tree this tree, decided to do it all by himself. No Mom or Dad to lift a child this year.
That may have made someone get a little teary. Luckily, a third child quickly stepped in for an impromptu dance to Christmas songs.
Then, the crazy broke out!
Jungle Gym Dad! (No wonder he sometimes has back issues!?!?)
Then, back to decorating and laying gifts under the tree before a goofy prerequisite self-timer shot...
a call to Papa...
writing letters to Santa and putting out his treats...
hanging stockings...
and noticing one link left on our chain: the Christmas morning one!
Then, noticing the book pile and digging into it...
...finishing the night with candles, cookies, Christmas tree lights and a long read together, before all the children went off to bed (and popped up again, and went off to bed, and popped up again, and went off to bed...) eager to celebrate the Birth of Christ tomorrow.
May Christmas bring great joy and peace to one and all, with Christ's love evident in every encounter!
