We’re technically going to have a white
Christmas – though we only got about a half-inch of snow early Sunday morning;
and the streets and sidewalks have long-since cleared thanks to a cold but
sunny day and a lot of traffic in town for the last shopping day before
Christmas.
I could spend hours writing about
everything that happened around town and with my family today, but I won’t be
getting much sleep tonight; so let’s try to keep this as short as possible.
We were up early; had a crazy-busy morning
having breakfast and then getting to church on time; and then we had a
wonderful Christmas Eve Day service at the church. Michael and I had to run as soon as it was
over to get to the Inn because we had a lot of work to get done ahead of the noon
buffet sitting. Miranda and Jacob opted
to go with two sittings this year – one at noon and the second at three; and
that worked out very well for getting our customers fed and still having enough
time to get the Inn cleaned and most of the work done to be ready for the
Boxing Day breakfast buffet and the bonus holiday weekend buffets we’re going
to have on Tuesday.
Working that full shift meant missing out
on most of the shopping and family fun during the afternoon; but Michael and I
did wander around town and into some of the stores while on our breaks; and I
did get to spend a lot of time with Michael and our families tonight. My family was at the mid-afternoon buffet,
but I didn’t have them in my section; and only had a few cameo moments with
them while I was busy and they were enjoying the holiday-themed buffet. I still had a lot of fun working with
Miranda, Rebecca, and Stephanie; spending time with Michael when I could; and
getting to spend time with friends and neighbors while they celebrated the
holiday with their loved ones.
The Christmas Eve service was another,
wonderful candlelit event; this was Pastor John’s fifth telling of the
Christmas story that he’s taken over sharing with us from the original message
that his mother wrote for our first Christmas Eve here – the one she based on
the Magi Christmas story that Mom gave to the Magi that Christmas. I still love it as much as that first time I
heard it; and it is still a hit with our congregation and visiting guests! Michael and I had another duet tonight too –
an encore request of a duet we’ve done at Christmas before; and that was a
special few minutes for us too.
We stayed after the service for a little
while for the meet and greet that included some Christmas treats and drinks;
but then Michael and I led the crew going back to the Inn to finish the work –
and get the library set up for the second self-serve breakfast of the
weekend. Most of Miranda’s guests at the
Inn will be spending the day with their families tomorrow, but sleeping in and
having breakfast there is an option; so I expect they’ll love the Olde Bakery
treats and other offerings that they can make themselves. That job was ours so that the rest of Michael’s
family could be at home with their weekend guests, and while we didn’t get to
play with the kids; Michael and I did get home in time to help with playing
Santa because his youngest cousins were sleeping by then.
That took quite a while, and we didn’t stay
until the very end of that work, but we had a blast playing with his family;
and then Michael came home with me and we joined the rest of the Santa’s
helpers there to get the gifts put out under our tree and the stockings stuffed
– a job that had started later because they’d had other family fun after the
service at the church; and Ethan and Ehlana had stayed up later than Michael’s
cousins. It was going on two by the time
Violet, Dillon, and Michael headed to their homes; Dawn and I had some girl
chat time in my room after that; and then I had to deal with a bit of family
business work that came up in my email inbox and that I didn’t want to leave
until Tuesday or Wednesday. That didn’t
take long, but once you add in the quick shower and the rest of what I’ve been
doing since Dawn moved on and over to her room; and I’ll be lucky to nap for an
hour before the twins will wake me up – though I’ll be okay if they let the parents
and cousins sleep in a bit so that they can be ready for a very busy Christmas
Day.
I’ll need a bit of self-healing to keep up
with the family and friends fun tomorrow, but that’s okay – and is worth it for
all of the fun we’ve had tonight! There
will be lots more to come with the next update, but here’s my Christmas Eve
music video picks for you to enjoy while I get started on my nap.
I only have one more nap until Christmas;
so, until next time...
...May the Magi Force be with you!
