…and so this is Christmas…

Happy Christmas Eve, friends! We made it! With all the everything going on, it hasn’t been quite the fun, relaxed lead up I’d planned at the start of the month, but life is like that. We are well and healthy, Christmas is back on track after a negative test for one of the main players of the day, and once the 9am numbers drop, I’m logging off any and all news sites for the day.

The gifts are wrapped, mostly. The outfits are sewn and ready to wear to church tonight. The food is bought and stashed in whatever space I can find in our ridiculously small kitchen. In a few short hours, the house will be clean, the Christmas table will be decorated, the salads will be made and chilling in the fridge, along with the prawns and ham. We’ll exchange the first gifts – one from us to the kids, and their secret Santa presents to each other. We’ll kick back and enjoy the afternoon together, then we’ll head out to church, before coming home, putting out the carrots for the reindeer, and a wine for Santa – because milk? In December? In a non-airconditioned cabin? Yeah no Santa does not want that.

The challenges, for the most part, have been successful. Not the gnomes, obviously, but I read 2.5 of my required 5 books (I actually thought there was another, but it’s not listed on my beanstack, so who knows. The beginning of December was a long time ago!). My advent art journal & December Daily book is almost up to date, and will be finished today. I’ve only skipped two days of the blog along, and about the same for my bible journaling goal. I’m already looking forward to 12 Days shenanigans, and planning my word for the 2022.

2021 has for sure been an…interesting…year, and yet here we are. It’s Christmas! We made it, and yet… We’ll be missing a much loved face around our table this year, and we aren’t the only ones. Many of us are missing people, or are stymied by borders, or in iso. Pandemic Christmases are TOUGH. Whatever your Christmas looks like this year, I hope there are moments of joy and wonder.

From my craft table to yours – I wish you all a very Merry, Merry Christmas, friends.