Dear Liza,
This year, Christmas Day evening was also the first night of Hanukkah, so of course we combined the two and had a fine time with Auntie Katie and the Cousins.
But first, there was a pork roast to start, presents from out of town to open, and a table to set. It was a wonderful, if slightly overwhelming, morning.
But once things were settled, and before company arrived, I needed to take a walk out in the fresh, rainy air of the neighborhood. My pretty new scarf from Grandpa Nelson goes perfectly with my sweater and hat from Donna! Whoever thought I would be wearing a coordinating, purple outfit?
Outside, the puddles were wide and no one was out, but it was the quiet and calm I needed in a busy day.
And once the family showed up, all was well. We ate and talked and were silly, like always. I love that with kids, every year is different. Their tastes, ideas, and conversation always surprise and amaze me.
After dinner we lit the candles for the first day of Hanukkah, and Katie set them up with some tin foil. “Putting the candles in the window is a mitzvah,” she explained. “Dripping wax on the sill isn’t.” Auntie Bridgett agreed. I like this picture of the menorah and reflections, through the window to John and Stacy’s balcony lights.
We opened presents, including a book of Charlie Brown mad libs and some fabulous books from Katie’s shop. There will be some good reading on these chilly winter days.
Then came the dessert/ artsy portion of the evening. My Christmas pudding was delicious but wouldn’t light… let’s hope the superstition about that (no flame, no good luck) is inaccurate.
Other activities were more successful. Katie and the Cousins had spent their day baking sugar cookies and making royal icing, and we all got to decorate, if we wanted.
Just like doing art online with Ruthie, we all enjoyed each others company while doing our own thing.
I love that Katie has a huge variety of cookie cutters, collected over many years. We had Teddy bears, ninjas, duckies, stars, and what seem to be tiny, baby monsters… wonderful, odd, and sincere. Like us!
Katie even made sense out of Grandma Billie’s Santa shape. It looked wonderful, with gummy bears coming out of the sack!
We watched an old Dr. Who episode which included Vincent Van Gogh, which I enjoyed very much, and then took a group photo… with some difficulty.
Balancing a thin iPhone on a flower vase and then pushing the button with JUST enough force to activate the timer but not enough to knock the phone over is a tricky maneuver. But after many tries, it worked!
And here we are, our own silly selves.
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 