Christmas was cool!

But it didn't snow! ;^)  So, to tell you about my Christmas with the family.  We all went to church on Christmas Eve for the 11 PM candlelight service.  I had to usher as well as take the collection that night.  Lighting the candles in the tall sconces that lined the pews was tricky.  The candles were approximately 7' off the ground, and we were lighting them with another burning candle as we went from row to row.  I think that someone must have purchased the candles at a gag gift shop, because the wax dripped like mad all over the place!  One of the people lighting the candles got wax all over her blazer, and I managed to hit the pews and the carpet a few times.   Luckily, no one was sitting down yet, or I'm sure that we would have scalded someone!

After lighting the candles, people started coming in early.  So, I went out to usher, handing out bulletins as well as small candles with plastic cups around them.  These would be used later to hold as we sang "Silent Night" and other songs.  The instructions in the bulletin said to hoist the candles up whenever the word, "light" appeared in the text.  Well, the young people really got a kick out of that, snickering like fools whenever we sang, "light".  I could imagine that they were relating the experience to a German beer hall where you lift your mugs in song! LOL.

The church was also decorated with a beautiful Poinsettia tree.  This was made from a wire frame with circular holders all over it.  The potted plants were inserted into each hole, and the entire grouping resembled a tall, flowery tree!  Very nice!

On Christmas day, we went to a relative's house for a party.  We started off with a salad and herbed bread.  For the entree, we had baked spaghetti, covered with ground beef, tomatoes, and cheese.  Dessert was sweet potato pie.  Being that there were only nine of us, there wasn't a massive spread of chocolates and cookies like I had first expected.  Anyhow, we all had enough to eat!

Gifts were exchanged between families.  Each family gifted the others with similar items, and therefore we all left with practically the same things.  In the good old days when everyone was still around, we used to buy separate gifts for EVERYBODY!  It was hard to think of so many different presents that would appeal to each individual, so here of late, we are just giving out the same thing to everyone.   Not a problem, as we received baked goods, knitted scarves, and holiday ornaments. 

In my immediate family, we opened yet another set of gifts.  I like the quiet time with the parents just as much as the parties.  The cats didn't bother with us this year.  They napped away as we tossed luscious bows and intriguing ribbons onto the floor.  Some years, we'd be finding gift wrap chunks under the furniture for weeks to come!   I'm just glad that everything went well, and all were happy in the end.  I hope that your holiday was cheerful, too! :^)