Christmas 2013

In Rocky Point, Oregon on sunny day with only a bit of snow left around here and there

Christmas was lovely this year, with some good times with Deborah on Christmas Eve, and then celebration on Christmas morning when daughter Melody and my local grandkids, Axel and Xavier, joined us for breakfast and dinner.  Not often we try to do both traditions on the same Christmas day, but somehow this year we wanted the eggs benedict breakfast AND the Christmas dinner. 

In spite of the goodies in between those two great meals, we still managed to have a wonderful time eating a succulent pork roast dinner by 3PM without too much trouble.  It helped that we skipped dessert after dinner, opting instead to sip Deb’s great dessert wine from the local Troon Vineyard in the Applegate Valley.

Family gifts were a part of the tradition, with some homemade stuff from mom and some incredibly lovely and thoughtful presents for Mo and I from the family as well.  We had fun.  The sun was shining, and with the snow melting the icy driveway kept us from going on the traditional walk or the other tradition, sledding.  Kevin was in California working, so he and Melody talked via text and video, and of course the phones were ringing off and on during the day while we talked with distant loved family members.  Truckers  Deanna and Keith even made it home to Washington to spend Christmas afternoon with son Steven. 

My sister Sal got a reprieve from trucking with a visit home to her loved ones in California, including her daughter Savannah, who managed to get south to sunny California for the holidays.  She is a sophomore now at Oregon State and studying zoology, so Christmas break is definitely appreciated. 

It was a simple day with lots of love and hugs all round, and another chance to appreciate the uniqueness of every single one of us. Nothing simple or ordinary about any family, I am sure, but somehow the holidays remind us of our bonds and our lives and what we love and what we share.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

Today instead of doing the shopping thing that many are doing, Mo and I are backing up files, packing up the last of what is needed for our trip, and checking off the list items with relish.  All is good for departure, and I am definitely ready for some desert time.