All is Calm, All is Bright

   

In the month of December, we consumed a plethora of delicious holiday food, coffee, and hot cocoa. (Note to self: start a routine of afternoon walking/exercising, asap.) We saw a rough estimate of about ten gazillion light displays. We watched even more Christmas movies than we saw light displays (My favorite new holiday movies were The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and the Netflix original animated movie, That Christmas). We crafted and sang all the songs. I'm fairly certain, in fact, that we heard "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" fourteen thousand times in the past month. We read the story of the birth of our Savior together. Our family partook in seven separate holiday celebrations this season. There were Christmas parades, gingerbread houses, games, baking, living Nativities, holiday music, so many prayers said together, gift buying/wrapping/opening, Christmas cards, letters, love, love and even more love. What a blessing it was to be surrounded by so much love! Had I not received one material item this season I still would have felt a tremendous outpouring of love upon me and I cannot emphasize that enough. No shiny paper or ribbon required. It's priceless and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. 

    December 26th, 2024 saw me, without a care in the world or a time slot to fill my schedule with, happily sleeping in after many days of holiday celebration with the ones I love most. The living room was silent and the lights twinkled softly. I stood in my bedroom doorway, in silent reverie, taking in the scene before me. The day after Christmas; All is calm, all is bright. I thanked God for my humble little house and for filling it with precious people before scurrying over to my coffee pot, decked out in Christmas jammies and slippers, of course, to make my Luke and I a pot of coffee and to bake a pan of cheesy sausage balls to fill the bellies of my family. 

    While I made breakfast, Luke and Jacob built the greenhouse that he bought Jacob for Christmas, as Ella painted with watercolor at the kitchen table. I love mornings like this. Nowhere to be. No bustle. No reason to get out of your cozy pajamas and fix your hair. Just be. 

    As is indicative of my nature, I was an unapologetic photo-taking fiend this holiday season. Also indicative of this blog is the ever-common photo dump that is about to ensue. Unapologetically, of course. :)

A girls night out and second visit of the season to Callaway with my Ella. 

A Christmas movie date night out with my Ella and Jacob to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Our town put together an awesome Christmas parade and we thoroughly enjoyed spending that evening together with our friends, Heather and Bobby! 

Ella and I traveled to Athens to spend the day with Aaron and William at the State Botanical Gardens. 

Christmas light excursion. 

To most of you, this may look like your basic Christmas tree photo. Those stockings were ordered/purchased AND then embroidered by Luke's Mama. The same woman who suffered a massive stroke and was paralyzed on her left side just one year ago! To those of us who love her so dearly, this photo means the absolute world to us. Those embroidered stockings represent healing, determination, and hope. We are abundantly thankful to have her here with us, full of life, determination and creativity! During a recent afternoon visit at their home, she proudly looked up at those stockings and said to me, "I just love seeing that many stockings hanging up there! That makes me so happy." She and her daughter, Dana, also worked together to make the beautiful star on top of the tree. That woman inspires me on a daily! I tell her often that, when I grow up, I wanna be just like her!

The Iron P Homestead Zoo put together a living nativity event that our family really enjoyed. Nobody more than our animal-lovin Ella girl, however! She could have stayed all night despite the frigid cold! 

Christmas Eve at my Mama's was extra special this year because all three of us girls were present. That's a rare occasion and it was a sweet blessing!

After my mama's house, the kids and I made our way over to Luke's family Christmas Eve get-together. We are fortunately blessed to have spent a second Christmas with them. Even more blessed to have Luke's Mama be a part of the festivities this year! 

Christmas morning, at Luke's parents house, consisted of one massive breakfast spread served on ornately festive Christmas china and orange juice served in green wine goblets, that Dana put together beautifully. Luke's Mama loved her gifts so well that she held them in her arms for a couple of hours and I found that to be incredibly adorable. The kids and I are blessed in sheer abundance to be loved by all of these people. 

Our last Christmas get-together we were missing our Lindsey girl and her little family something awful but my Mama heart enjoyed every second of that time with my loves. 

On a side note, this precious woman has taken her role as grandmother quite proudly. She showed off the t-shirts she bought herself in honor of our Ella girl and it made this mama tear up. I'm so thankful for the amount of love. 

I hope that your Christmas was abundantly blessed, sweet reader!