Meet Winston, the newest member of our circus... I mean, family!
Winston is a Welsh Pembroke Corgi, and he is quite the handsome and clever chap! One day, I will post a video of us meeting for the very first time!
Besides getting to meet sweet Winston, our Christmas got off to a rocky start this year. My dad found out that he was exposed to COVID at work and had to quarantine, which meant that he was not able to come to our annual Christmas Eve party. Thankfully, the rest of our family was able to make it. We had our annual cheese and charcuterie spread, plus my Grandmere's buche de noel. The traditional holiday cake was a family effort this year; my mom, my nieces, my daughters, and I all had a hand in this festive creation:
The finished product!
The joy and chaos of cousin Christmas!
"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there..."
I love these sweet sisters.
Matching Christmas pajamas for the fourth year in a row!
On Christmas morning, the girls woke up and rushed to open their stockings while the grownups had coffee. Morgan's parents made a yummy Christmas breakfast for us. My dad ended up testing negative for COVID, so he was able to join us on Christmas morning. I was so thankful to be able to celebrate with everyone at last!
It was all too much for Winston, clearly.
I really hope they stay weird!
After all of the presents had been opened (and some naps), we went over to my parents' house for Christmas dinner.
My dad actually ended up testing positive for COVID the following day, so we spent the week after Christmas in quarantine. No one else in my family tested positive or had symptoms, so we were actually thankful to enjoy a lot of quality time together. My dad's symptoms were thankfully very mild, and he was feeling better the following week.
In spite of everything, this Christmas was joyous! At Christmas, our family celebrates the Incarnation - that God would take upon Himself our human form, that an infinite and eternal God would enter into Time and Space, into our broken human context, in order to show how much He loves us. Oh, the wonder of it! I see it in the eyes of my girls, and I feel as if I am seeing for the first time. My favorite hymn says it all better than I ever could:
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
The soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope. The weary world rejoices. A new and glorious morn.
Amen.
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