T'was the month after Christmas...

T'was the month after Christmas and all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring...... except Grandma!

So here we are into the new year. And life is back into a routine of sorts. I am not sure how to best describe Christmas. It would seem to me that it just gets better and better as the years go by. I guess we are establishing some traditions that are just that, traditions. They may not make sense to anyone else but these 'habits' have just become part of how we spend Christmas.

When 16 people spend three and a half days together there are times when the noise level is quite high! Thankfully Grandpa pulled the trampoline into the shop, found the old bike and trike, the scooter. He conscripted help to give the shop a good sweeping/wash down and also built a humongous sand box inside the shop. The seven played for long periods of time in the shop and outside even though there was very little snow with which to create anything! Warmth made it pleasant to be outside.

Parents cooperated even though the clothes were full of sand as well as the hair. I know that more than once these kids endured a vacuuming before being allowed out of the shop! Parents also made meals and helped with clean up every day. We had some great homemade soup, noodles made from scratch with great toppings and the traditional pizza for Christmas Eve supper. Yes, we feasted!

The day that everyone arrived Grandpa took a nasty spill out of the back of the pickup when a strap that he was pulling broke and sent him flying onto the ice beside the truck. Nothing was broken but he is still very sore and it did put a damper on his Christmas.

I saw examples of love and grace within the tribe. I heard 'I'm sorry' more than one time. The one that stood out to me was when the 3 year old came inside and called, "Dad, I broke your snowball maker. I am sorry". The answer: "Did you mean to?" "No". "That's okay". A simple example of God's love. He doesn't rebuke and blame but accepts our regret and pronounces forgiveness and acceptance.

Confession: a good friend told me to wait until after Christmas to clean the house! I listened to her, did a quick vacuum here and there, cleaned the bathrooms (except in our own bathroom) before hand. So, last week I hit the upstairs, then the basement and by Friday night I pronounced it DONE! Okay, the sewing/laundry room will never be 'done' but it feels good to have some corners cleaned out and a bag of goodies for the thrift store!

Now what! The list of things to do is long and time will tell if anything gets accomplished in the month of January.

Happy new year everyone!