Happy Holidays! So, it is now time to document the festivities although they just keep on going and going…what with all the truffles, mint cookies, popcorn balls, candy sticks, gum, candy canes, potatoes casseroles, spinach dip, sausage rolls, meatballs and such lingering around the house. I’ve had several entire meals this holiday season that have consisted of something chocolate covered, sugar laden, and filled with fat. I’ve created my own holiday food pyramid! I count it as a major bonus if the thing covered in chocolate or dip was a fruit or vegetable.
It has truly been a great holiday! Christmas Eve afternoon we traveled around the mountain and up the road to CayLynne and Garth’s home for Carr family festivities! We ate delicious soup, played with wonderful cousins, and had a fabulous nativity complete with dancing, spinning angels, a slovenly Herod, Herod’s eccentric assistant, some shepherds, wise men bearing fascinating gifts and all manner of fabulous costumes. I really loved the 2 little girls spinning and dancing during the entire gloria chorus of "Angels We Have Heard On High"! It added an extra element of joy!
The arch angel with her dancing assistants!
Grandpa reading the nativity story.
Joseph, Mary and 2 dancing angels.
A very exuberant little angel.
A pensive looking Joseph.
Herod's assistant 
My favorite picture of Herod looking so opulent and regal!After stuffing ourselves with soup and festive joy, we headed back around the mountain and down the road to Carrie and Todd’s house for the Oscarson family celebration! (We LOVE living near both sides of the family…it is extra love and joy every single holiday!) We arrived at the Rhode’s house to find a true Swedish feast underway with Mo and Papa, Grandparents Green, the Chip and ML family, Spencer and Sho and of course, the Rhodes. We grabbed a plate and jumped right in because meatballs, little sausages, red cabbage, potato casserole, dips, veggies and all manner of heavenly things only happen once a year and they are not to be missed. We ate until I truly felt full from my toes all the way up to my eyeballs. Nothing like being stuffed with Swedish meatballs and spinach dip. THAT is true fa la la!
After dinner the adults actually had a few moments to lounge in the family room while the children seemed eerily quiet upstairs. (Was I lounging while someone else was slaving away doing dishes in the kitchen? If you don’t remember lounging during this portion of the evening, I truly apologize. You took the slack! I owe you.) The quiet only lasted a few moments before children started spilling down from the upper level and we knew it was time to move on to the next portion of the evening.
Sho and I headed upstairs to get the cast dressed and ready for the nativity production…and what an amazing production it was. Mind you, this was an event occurring at the Rhodes’ residence. The Rhodes’ are not known for quiet, unassuming events…and this nativity was no exception. We had exquisite fabrics draped around the cast members; we had angels, Mary, shepherds, wise men, and even a lamb wearing the most fabulous "bling" costume jewelry you have ever seen. There were broaches and earrings and rings and bangles and such glory as I’m sure has never been seen in ancient Bethlehem. Spencer and Sho were taking pictures as quickly as they could snap so I will post pictures as soon as they download. It truly was a sight to feed your senses! Grandpa Green read the story from the Bible and one by one the cast members entered the room. By the time we got to the "shepherds looking sore afraid", I happened to glance over at Grandma Green sitting in the middle of the nativity chaos and I had to laugh…she had the perfect "looking sore afraid" expression on her face. While this may have been an attempt at recreating the first Christmas, there was absolutely nothing reverent, quiet or gentle about what was happening. It was loud and chaotic and noisy and by the time the angels descended on the scene, we lost a little bit of control. But we continued reading and singing until we had the whole gang accounted for. After the production, Papa offered a few words about the real meaning of Christmas and we attempted to close the whole program with the song "Silent Night" which started out reverent until one of the kids hit the "hip-hop" button on Carrie’s electric piano and suddenly this gentle song had some serious rhythm to it. I couldn’t help it…I just played along and the kids jumped and danced (where DO they learn to dance that way?) until the song ended and I turned off the beat and we tried singing it to a "string ensemble" instead. (She does have this really cool piano with all these cool buttons…why waste them?)
Next was a little gift opening! The highlight of the evening was the card that Chip and ML presented to Carrie and Todd explaining the "gift" that the entire family had decided to make to the "Rhodes Bud" fund. It was a beautiful, touching moment! Carrie and Todd both cried and felt overwhelmed with love…it was everything Christmas is meant to be. That moment WAS Christmas for me. Knowing that our family had been able to come together and sacrifice for 2 people we love so much and for the little people we are waiting to meet and love was a precious, priceless moment. Carrie and Todd loved looking at the drawings that some of the nieces and nephews had made for them and truly the spirit of every member of our family was felt there. For just a moment, I also felt that the Rhodes’ children were present and rejoicing at the family that awaits them. What an amazing day it will be to meet them and hold them and welcome them to a family where they are so wanted and loved already! Truly, family is heaven on earth.
We finished the evening off with raspberry dessert, exquisite chocolate French Yule log, and something else yummy that is eluding me right now. (I know there were 3 amazing desserts…I’ll think of it.) We drank the traditional Jul Must (bad spelling), cracked pepperkakor in our hands (Grandpa Green is the only one that got 4 pieces…I’m hanging around him this year), and sat by the DVD fire on the big screen TV that truly not only creates a whole atmosphere but everyone swears gives off heat! It was a beautiful, amazing evening. Thank you to Carrie and Todd for hosting a memorable, sweet, fun, delicious, fabulous evening!
It was time to go. Our children were FREAKING OUT that Santa was on his way and we weren’t home in bed. As we walked out to our car, Hannah looked up in the sky and actually saw Santa and his sleigh. That meant he was close and truly intensified the need to quit all the "lovey-dovey" hugging stuff and get going. We headed home to open one present (new pajamas for everybody) and set out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. Seeing that it was WAY past a decent hour for children to be up, they went to bed pretty quickly. Chris and I put an alarm clock in the boy’s room with strict instructions that they were NOT to leave the room or wake mom or dad up until the numbers on the clock started with at least a "7". Very important part of the Christmas season for adults.
Cute kids in new Christmas pajamas.
Cute girl in her new nightgown and slippers.
Cute boys in snuggly, matching pajamas. 
Carrots on the front porch for the reindeer.
Boys loading up the plate of carrots.Chris and I finally went to bed around 3:00 a.m. For a woman who really thought she had things all put together and ready, there certainly was a lot of last minute stuff to finish. But finally we went to bed with the sweet knowledge that the stockings were hung by the fireplace with care and great certainty that St. Nicholas soon would be there!
Merry Christmas!
