A Doggie Shepherd

Every Christmas Eve the grands (with a few grownups added in if needed) reenact the Nativity. Sometimes it doesn't go quite as planned, but we enjoy it and the message of faith it brings us.

That's on everyone's mind right now, and so yesterday when Nash "ran the couch" and slid in under the old bedspread that protects the leather from the dogs, we could not help but see a Nativity character.

Look, a (part German) shepherd has arrived! 

Actually, I think he'd make a pretty good one (although he's a little rowdy at times.)

Just a quick share - I need to leave now.

Stay 'tooned!

 

Keeping Busy & the December Give Away

Second Post of the Day

Benefits of having a big family? Lots of presents. Drawbacks of having a big family? Lots of presents. Christmas preparations continue to run apace!

Yesterday I wrapped 28 gifts and I'm only about 2/3s done. Our bedroom functions as the Christmas wrapping station and right now you can barely walk through it. Mama is timid by nature and yesterday she was too overwhelmed to even come in to borrow Pepper's bed. (Don't worry about Pepper. She was borrowing mine.) Mama went back to her own bed in the living room.

The spa tub is filling up with packages that our out of town family is sending and will wrap when they get here, but it isn't too bad yet. In fact, I used it yesterday to hold boxes that I'd broken down for recycling from my own wrapping blitz.

Lisa's health and work schedule finally allowed her to spend some time putting out my mother's Nativity with me.

It's been a tradition for nearly 20 years that we do that together and one that I cherish. 

My mother poured and cleaned the greenware, painted it, and then fired it, doing a couple of pieces a year until she had finished them all.

Remember the card Kate sent me last year that made me cry on Christmas Day?

Susie sent us an electronic one yesterday with singing snowman and then wrote a sweet note to accompany it. I've lost count of how many times I've watched that card. Thank you, Susie!

Craig enjoyed watching it in my office accompanied by Nash (who is very attached to Craig.) That's Pepper sitting on my feet. The four dogs enjoyed a day together, playing, eating, and sleeping hard despite all the things scattered on the floors and around our home.

We managed to squeeze in time for our monthly volunteering down in Indianapolis this week. While down there, we spent some time at what has become my favorite outdoor Nativity.

Getting there was interesting. We took a different route than usual to avoid traffic. Take a look at how we went:

That's 14 roundabouts. 14!!  And that wasn't all of them! They don't call Carmel, Indiana the home of the roundabout for no reason!

Carmel has more that 150 roundabouts, more than any city in the United States. (If you are prone to dizziness, you might want to skip Carmel.)

Feeling a bit like we'd just ridden an extended merry go round ride, we made it to the Nativity. I've been visiting it for over the past ten years, and it has become a place of joy, happiness, and peace. It also provided a place of solace when James died just before Christmas in 2022.

Simple, quiet, and without fanfare, I love this scene. (And that donkey.)

I pulled out my embroidery machine and have been making gifts for family members. This Nativity is a new pattern for me and is made in a technique called "Sketch."

I made two hand towels to give as gifts.

Now we just have the tree to put up, and Craig and I are determined that today is the day. (Wish us luck - it's 11 degrees out!)

Christmas 2022: Christmas Eve Part Two

 I am nearing the end of the Christmas posts. If you don't care to read them, just come back in a few days.

While eating our pizza for Christmas Eve dinner, the doorbell rang. The grands jumped up out of their chairs, thundering to the front door shrieking, "He's here! He's here! It's the PJ Elf!"

(Meanwhile, JC had leaped off the front porch and was hightailing it around the side of the house, through the garage, and and back into the kitchen.)

Yes, indeed, the PJ Elf had come again this year, leaving a big bag of wrapped packages on the front porch of Curt and Vanessa's home.

It didn't matter that the kids knew what the PJ Elf had left them (his name sort of gives it away); they were absolutely giddy with excitement.

New jammies for all!

Although the PJ Elf did get a little mixed up this year and delivered the Nashville family members their pajamas before they left Tennessee so they were already wearing theirs. (Susie and Gus.)

The kids barely had changed into their new jammies when it was time for them to prepare for the annual family Nativity. Vanessa always organizes a Christmas Eve program for us, and for me, it is the highlight of Christmas Eve.

The angel (Cambria) and the shepherd (Ian) await their cue to come out.

The shepherd sees the star in the sky and the angel approaches to give him the good news of the babe born in Bethlehem.

Mary, I feel your pain. I have been that pregnant before myself. With your dad. He was a ten pounder. (That big "babe" of mine is dying of laughter there on the left.)

Mary has given birth and the angel, shepherd, donkey (Mila), plus three assorted family dogs take a peek at him. (Actually, her. Susie played Jesus this year.)

I think the angel is now doubling as a star. Joseph (Titan) and Mary (Julie) look adoringly at their child albeit with difficulty due to Gus standing in the way.

Time for the wise men! Lukie (looking like Dracula in his red and black cape) rides his camel (Kate) to Bethlehem while the second wise man (Curt) walks behind.

It's a long and winding road through that desert of shoes, coats, hats, mittens, drying racks, socks, boots, and more, 

so is it any surprise that the camel got confused and took a wrong turn?

Finally the camel weaved her way through the legs of her aunts and cousin Trinity and got her wise man to Bethlehem and the baby Jesus.

The End

We ended our Nativity reenactment by singing carols together,

something we did as a family when our kids were little. Everyone chose one person or family to visit, and we drove around town, stopping to sing and drop off cookies to all the folks we had selected.

It was a lovely night, and despite some sad moments and tears, there was joy. 

 

Christmas 2018: Christmas Eve Adventures

Christmas Eve came quickly for the adults, and less quickly, I suspect, for the kids.

I was up early and working on the computer when Cambria joined me in the living room.

She worked her way through all the stockings ( twenty-two were hanging)

and then pulled out the one she thought was hers.

The day was spent with people doing some final wrapping of gifts, among other things.

Trinity wrapped all of Jessica's for her and many of her parents' gifts - it took her most of the day!

I made a cherry pie

and then Trinity made a second cherry pie under my watchful eye. (It was delicious!)

 Kate decided to put on an apron and help us, too!

During the afternoon the kids and their children decorated cookies for Santa (that's a separate blog post) and then we had  Arni's pizza and salad for dinner.

Curt and Vanessa began a new tradition two years ago with a nativity play that includes all the grandchildren.

This year Lukas was a cute sheep in a little sheepskin vest.

And he kept escaping! We needed a shepherd!

Oh, there she is! And a cute one at that!

Mary (who campaigned for the position a month or so in advance.)

An angel (typecasting, for sure!)

Mary was joined by a wise man.

Joseph, who was a very good sport since he was so much older than the rest of the nativity cast.

And another angel, also a good sport, and wearing my wedding veil for a costume.

The cow had spots!

 Susie was going to be Baby Jesus, but she fell asleep so a doll was used.

The sheep escaped again

but luckily Aunt Lisa was able to bring him back into the fold.

We tried to get the cast together at the end for a photo

but the sheep escaped yet again.

It took a couple of pictures to finally get

a good one!

Then the doorbell rang (thanks, JC!!) and the kids all ran to the door.

They knew what that ringing bell meant!

The pajama elf had arrived!

Trinity handed out the packages to her excited cousins while her mom, aunts and uncles, and grandparents snapped photos.

There was a flurry of opening and kids putting on their new pajamas then and there.

Look! The sheep is still corralled!

Mr. Pajama Elf/Joseph/Good Sport JC got new pajamas, too.

As we lined up the kids for a new-pj picture, I noticed a family member had been added in the back.

Sweet Molly was peeking out over Trinity's shoulder! And Ian, who was too tall for his new jammies, kept trying to adjust the neck on them as they were cutting into his shoulder.

Eventually Vanessa simply cut the feet out of them to release the pressure and he was much happier.

Just as my mother read The Night Before Christmas to us, I am always asked to read it to my family.

I cannot read it without thinking of my mother.

Book done, it was time to put out cookies for Santa and then the kids scurried off to bed! For the first time since Sarah was born in 1977, I did not put any gifts out. I fell into bed exhausted, and my family did it for me. I did get up early in the morning, check things, and put some candy into stockings, though.

What a day! But it would turn out to be nothing compared to the busy-ness of Christmas Day itself.