Christmas 2007
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This Christmas involved more people in our home than perhaps ever before. Michelle, Jared, and Sam (my daughter and family) arrived late Friday. Sam, who is three was wound up and did not go to sleep until 3:30AM. We tried having him sleep in our bedroom… and it didn’t work. Grandpa got up and let him play and read a couple of storied and then he went right to sleep. He was fine the rest of the time here and he is usually great to put to bed.

Saturday started off with me initiating something of a reconciliation within our extended family. I contacted a relative out of the blue to encourage her to contact someone else and she was wonderfully responsive. I was relieved and full of gratitude to God! By the afternoon, everyone was in the act of helping to prepare for the open house in the evening. Amazingly, my terrific family had a great attitude and we had fun working together. I guessed that about 25 people would stop for the open house on that foggy evening. Instead there were 45-50 people here. It was a very eclectic group of neighbors, Patty’s work associates, our daughter-in-law’s work associates, old friends, and family. Patty’s brother, niece and her friend also arrived from Missouri during the open house. Again, I was left feeling very fulfilled to see our house filled with people.

Sunday was kind of chill until our second annual family dinner out. It was a very windy and frigid day and our Christmas deer in the front yard laid down on the job. I was hurrying around unfreezing a door and picking up a wreath that had blown off the house before I jumped in the car to head to the restaurant. I zipped out of the driveway and bashed right in to my brother-in-law’s car! Fortunately, it was something of a beater and he was very low key about it.  Actually, mine sustained most of the damage. That almost killed my Christmas spirit. Of course, I would have consoled anyone else, but I kept thinking of the money involved in repairs and how dam stupid it was. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I needed to get over it. I felt a little odd stuffing my face with steak at a fancy place with my somewhat newfound awareness and compassion for those in great need. I have to do more about this next year and try to draw in the family.

Monday was again pretty chill, until I broke out the barbie (my Christmas gift) for kabobs. While cooking out in the cold, my normally stoical son, had words so insightful and kind that I nearly started crying. Then it was off to the living room and Patty did a great job telling the Christmas story to Sam who cried out, “Oh no!” when she said there was no place for Joseph and Mary to stay. Everyone loved it. Then we did the gifts. We had about thirteen people joining us for the occasion. I closed out the day with a delightful conversation about religion and politics (no less) with my son-in-law as our wives slept on a nearby coach and chair. I found out that his mother recently had a fifteen-minute conversation with Bill Clinton while she was visiting her mother in Charles City, Iowa. I was impressed! (I have to hear more about this, Diane!)

Tuesday saw everyone trying to spend some time together here and there with the rare combination that had gathered together. We closed out the day by taking Sam to see a model train Christmas display and played a round of a fun game called Apples to Apples with Michelle and Jared.

Thanks for being a part of it all… Patty (my wife), Michelle, Jared, and Sam (our daughter and family), Nathan, Tyla, Christina, and Cheryl (our son and his family), Paulo (Cheryl’s boyfriend), Bob (my brother-in-law), Sarah (our camera shy niece), and Chris (Sarah’s friend).

Don’t think our Christmas celebrations are perfect; they’re not. There are also many untold stories and after all I did bash my brother-in-law’s car and the dog threw up on the carpet just before the Christmas story.

For me, the conversations and Sam’s many antics were the most precious things to come out of this busy Christmas. I am a blessed man!