Christmas at 2319

We have a tradition.  Each year, we start our Christmas morning with pancakes (made lovingly from scratch a box by the Daddy) and presents, with just our immediate family.  And then around lunchtime, our invited guests show up for Christmas dinner (usually a mid-day meal) and watching a movie, usually The Sound of Music.  Somewhere in the evening, our guests return to their homes, and we finish the day off with a few minutes of just us again.  It's a nice tradition.

Last year, we had to change our plans because we weren't in our house due to the boiler saga.  This year, things were a bit different again, but this time because we spent Christmas morning at my parents' house with my extended family.  So for our Christmas tradition, we celebrated again....on New Years' Eve!

This year, we only had one guest for lunch/dinner.  Shirley has been part of the tradition for many years now, and we were glad that she could join us again.  Hoffbeast met Shirley at our local Starbucks a number of years ago, and it has been a joy to have her as part of our annual celebration ever since.  Deshawn joined us later for the movie, this year a showing of The Nativity Story.  After everyone left, it was just us...and then after the kids were in bed, Tang came over and joined us for ringing in the new year.

We are usually at Christmas Conference on New Year's Eve, so this was very strange.  Our first time being home since 2005, just before leaving for Ethiopia to meet Neil.  A ball drop, praying together, and about 100 gunshots later (a strange and not-so-wonderful tradition here in the central city), the new year was here!  Welcome 2012, and Merry Christmas to all!

(The start of January hasn't stopped me from playing Christmas music and lighting candles at night, as I sit and read, write, and ponder in front of the Christmas tree and all the lights.  Hoping our tree will last for another month or so...)