Merry Christmas Eve Day!
It’s late, and I’m in bed now that I’ve
finished my Santa’s little helper gig, but I need some time to wind down; so
this doesn’t need to be a micro-update.
We’ve had a crazy-busy day; so sit back and enjoy the update!
Michael came over for Tai Chi and stayed
for breakfast; but then we split up so that Michael and I could both hit the
showers and get ready for a play day.
Mom and Dad were both busy this morning, and while Dad was getting ready
for the extra time off over the next couple of weeks; Mom mostly helped out at
the lab with getting ready for their Christmas luncheon. While they were busy, Ethan and Ehlana opted
for a visit to KidZone for a mini Christmas party that was going on all morning
before most of the kids got to go home at lunchtime – except for the few kids
that stayed while their parents were still busy with work. Rowen came over to my house first; we
collected Michael when we were ready to go; and then we met up with Tim on the
main drag to wander around town and do a little window shopping – since there
wasn’t really anything that any of us needed to pick up – other than the Olde
Bakery order that we picked up and dropped off in Dad’s truck to make sure we
got our Santa treats before they ran out.
We picked up the boxes of treats for the Landrys, Emersons, and Stones
too; so there were extra stops along our shopping path – though we would have
stopped at the computer store.
It’ll be a while longer before any of us
are interested in buying cars from Tim’s Mom; but we were okay with the stop at
the Inn that included a hot chocolate and snack break while we were there.
Michael and I eventually went to get Ethan
and Ehlana from KidZone in time to get over to the lab for the luncheon while
Rowen and Tim moved on to do their own thing for a while; and we then spent an
hour or so having that meal with the staff there – and most of our home-town
family. Dad and Aunt Leanne came over
from work, and they were done for the day; the clinic was closed while pretty
much everyone there came over for the little party; and Grandma and Grandpa were
on the invite list because Aunt Grace wanted to invite them – along with some
other town VIP’s and friends.
That party marked the end of the work week
for most of my favorite adults, and though Mom and Dad were finished at the
office and lab; they had other chores and shopping to do; so Michael and I went
a long – mostly to help out and spend time with them, Ethan, and Ehlana. Michael needed to help out at the Inn with
the early dinner sitting they had ahead of the Christmas Eve service, and
though I wanted to do that too; I stayed with my family instead to help out at
home while he was busy.
I’m skipping some play time and other fun
that happened this afternoon, but that was mostly just cameo moments here and
there. After getting home, we had a
minivan and truck to unload; everything got put away; and then it was already
time to start taking turns to get ready for the church service while also
dealing with our evening meal. I also
needed to be at church early so that Michael and I could do one more little
practice before the service; so Dad gave me a ride there so that I didn’t have
to walk in my dress shoes – even though it really wasn’t too cold for the walk.
Before I get to the Christmas Eve service,
I should mention at least a couple of family travel notes that I really haven’t
kept up with in my journal. Violet and
Dillon headed for Woodvale after the luncheon in the lab; and I don’t think
that they’ve decided for sure whether they’ll try to be back here tomorrow
afternoon – or wait until Friday to come back.
I’m glad that I don’t have to choose between families for Christmas Day! Yes, Michael and I will have two dinners to
attend tomorrow; but we can do that by walking down the street from my house to
his. Violet and Dillon will have to skip
family dinners either here or in Woodvale – especially since Violet has up to
three options in Woodvale alone. Josiah
went home with Christina today too; and they’ll be back on Friday – or possibly
late Thursday night. They will miss the
Palmer family Christmas; but they’re going to have to juggle that most years –
except for when Christina’s family is here for Christmas anyway.
It’s funny how the holiday travel didn’t
seem to be a big deal to me when it was always about family and friends coming
home to Witch Falls – or not; but it is now – even when I think about it with
Violet; and her home is still, technically, in Woodvale.
Moving along with the rest of the story for
today, though; Michael met up with me at the church and we went off on our own
to do a little music practice at an old piano in one of the Sunday school
classrooms. The music room was being
used by the praise team for their warm-ups; so we didn’t want to get in the
way. The Christmas Eve service is one of
my favorites of the year; and I always get the warm fuzzies just from walking
into the sanctuary when the lights are dimmed and the candlelight sets the mood
for quiet reverence, wonder, and joy.
While I really loved singing and playing ‘O
Holy Night’ with Michael, and I think we did a good job; the highlight of the
service for me was Pastor Martha’s Christmas message. It was essentially the exact same mini-sermon
that she used last year and had developed using the archive Christmas story
that Mom had put together for our first Christmas here in Witch Falls; and the
story was just as powerful tonight as it was last year. I’d say that we have a new Christmas
tradition in town; and I hope that Pastor Martha – and eventually, Pastor John,
will keep our history alive – even when that’s being done through a ‘what-if’
kind of message.
We’d all already had a long day by then,
but it wasn’t over by a long shot.
Michael got a pass on going back to the Inn to help out while he and I were
on the receiving end of a lot of praise for our music from a lot of people; but
his parents, Jake, and Stephanie took a small work crew with them to finish the
clean-up and get set-up for the Boxing Day breakfast buffet on Friday. That meant that I got to bring Michael home
with me too and have both some family and alone time with him before he needed
to be home too; but that was actually more of a calm before the playing Santa’s
helpers storm of activity started shortly after he left for the night. We didn’t have company over after the service
because we’re hosting the family dinner tomorrow; and we’ll be able to do the
family gift exchange then. What we did
do was have a bedtime snack and drinks; watch a Christmas show in the living
room; and then Michael and I took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana tucked in
for the night before moving on to the lounge for that alone time and minor
make-out session.
I’d say that was a great way to end the
night, but as I mentioned; my day wasn’t over.
After seeing Michael out with a last, front porch kiss goodnight; it was
time to get to work with Mom and Dad. It
seemed to take a long time to haul all of the gifts downstairs and get
everything set up under the tree; we filled the stockings; munched on some
cookies and reindeer treats; and then took care of some last-minute work in the
kitchen to get set up for breakfast for six.
Grandma and Grandpa are going to be splitting their morning between our
house and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne’s place; but they’re doing breakfast
here. I didn’t write ‘us’ there, because
I’m going to be at Michael’s house for breakfast. He’s coming here early to open our family
gifts with me; and then we’ll do the same after breakfast at his house – mostly
because the twins will be up for that way earlier than Jake, Rebecca, and
Stephanie will be.
I haven’t put any time-frame with all of
that action this evening, but all of that fun and work took until two-thirty. I got ready for bed after that, and have been
doing my nightly computing since snuggling in with Mandy for what nap time I’ll
get to have before the twins will give us our wake-up call. While I’ve been checking email and doing the
rest of my usual surfing, Ethan and Ehlana have already snuck downstairs to put
their gifts under the tree; probably rattle a few presents with their names on
them; and polish off the treats that we left behind for them. They’ll still be up early, though; so I
should probably get to the Christmas music video pick for tonight and then head
off to nap mode for a couple of hours.
I’m sure that it’s no surprise that my pick
for Christmas Eve is the same one that Michael and I sang at church tonight,
and while a duet video might be more appropriate, this version of the song is
one of my all-time favorites, and always makes my Christmas favorites playlist.
May the Magi Force be with you!
