Putting Fingers to Keyboard.....#WQW Theme: Christmas

It's another week of  Writer's Quotes Wednesday, hosted by Marsha from Always Write. If you're interested in joining, you can find more about #WQW here. 

At the first of the year we are changing to #WQ Wednesday Quotes. 

I'm very late to the show this week....I totally forgot until just now, Christmas Eve Morning....nothing is planned til later, and I'm still iced in, so I won't be going anywhere until it thaws. If I didn't have to go to the store to pick up 4 bread bowls, I probably wouldn't go anywhere, but clam chowder calls for bread bowls. Plus, it's supposed to be melted by the afternoon. So, better late than never!

Playing games is always on the agenda for Christmas, and for my youngest daughter...so are Christmas P.J.s..playing cards last year with my MIL.

I love Christmas...it's my favorite holiday. I love the reason we celebrate...Jesus' birth. I love the spirit of joy, of giving, of gathering. I know it's not everyones favorite, I know it's hard for so many and some years are harder than others, I feel it's because so much of our celebration is around family, tradition, loved ones, and when they're missing it becomes heartbreaking, melancholy, lonely. I find in those times, for me, I can experience all the emotions and it's okay. I can feel joy, laughter, sadness and tears. I want to stay tender to the feelings of others yet, not minimize mine. I know my mom LOVED Christmas and while I wish she were here (my dad too), I choose to celebrate and love the season because I think that honors her. I just can't let each Christmas be a "hard" one and not celebrate or find joy because she and my dad are both gone. I pray that wherever you are this year, that you can feel peace and joy to some degree.

Baking with and for the grandkids was extra fun this year. 

Tried some dairy free sugar cookies. I think they were good. 

A yearly tradition since 2009...my nephews posing with our youngest. I don't know how it started but it's been fun. We joke that we want them to be able to do this when she's pregnant someday

An old family photo...probably in the mid 1970's. Christmas at my great grandmas with all the cousins. I'm the bottom right. My great grandma is on the couch.

This year we were iced in on Friday so I spent the day doing some baking and some prep work for rolls that I'll make Christmas Day. Our traditions are that on Christmas Eve, everyone comes up to our house for Clam Chowder in bread bowls...I'm hoping everything thaws by this afternoon so people can get here and I can run to the store and grab 4 more bread bowls. 

Christmas day everyone comes up to our house for Cinnamon rolls and opening gifts, then we get ready, clean up and head down the road to my inlaws, for more gifts and the main meal. Then on to games and relaxing. 

It's about making new memories, like going to see one of my grandsons babysitters dance in the Nutcracker ballet at the local theater. 

Having fun and applying festive nails.

My first Christmas in the new part of the house has been fun. To decorate, to wrap presents at the counter with the fire going.

It's being iced in and working on a puzzle. 

It's sharing our homes with friends...above, at my inlaws with some friends visiting from Switzerland, and below in our home for our Friendsgiving we hosted the beginning of December.

There are always more than family at our tables. This year we will be having at least 3 non family members joining us on one or both days. Hospitality is in the genes. My mom was hospitable, and my mother in law is too. I absolutely enjoy having people over, for opening our homes when they have nowhere to go, feeding them, blessing them. 

This year I put out goodies for our delivery drivers to thank them and maybe help them fuel their bodies for their long days. 

Enjoying an advent book for the first time. I decided this would be a yearly tradition.

It's always fun gathering and opening gifts. 

Watching my grandson at his Christmas program at preschool.

Taking the grandkids to look at an awesome Christmas inflatable display that a local family puts on! 

I used to love shopping for gifts, now it's a bit harder so I did a lot online and bought small stuff locally. Next year I need to plan better and start earlier. It almost became too stressful, not fun...as I rushed around Wednesday trying to get the last of things because of the impending ice storm..I paused and thought "wait a minute, this isn't worth it...just get what grabs you and don't worry about the rest", so a few will be getting some extra cash because I did procrastinate and didn't get some things. But I realized it wasn't serving me well scrambling for the sake of using up the budget. 

I love the quotes I found this morning, they spoke to me and I hope in some way they speak to you. Merry Christmas everyone. I've enjoyed following along on each of your posts this last year and look forward to next year. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin