Christmas Filled With Laughter and Tears

 

 This is Mikey's first Christmas since moving out there on his own.

So his Christmas list was pretty much about survival items.....

mostly cash

but we threw in his favorite Cheez-its

and he got gift cards for food.

 

However, we are a family that also enjoys opening

gifts so.....

I found a bunch of party items for the New Year

and then put a pile of dough in the hat.

He loved it

and put on quite a show for us.

Now he is looking for a party to attend on

New Years Eve.

lol

 

 

Aunt Bev gets the award for the absolutely funniest gifts.

She got these Lazy Suits from Woot.

One for each "kid".

Its hard to call them that these days....

except that they played the role pretty well on Christmas Day.

 

We laughed so hard to see them in these silly

but apparently very comfy blue lounge overalls.

 Grandma Ruth checked out the softness.

 

 Mikey demos the convenient flap in the back.

 

 And then there were three!

 

Just too cute!

I wonder what they would think of this in Australia.

((smile))

 

We did have a very sweet day together.

Mom started our time with a poem that my Dad had written

but we had not heard.

It was as if he was speaking to us directly.

So moving.

Bittersweet tears were shed.

 

We laughed again when Mom and Georgia

exchanged identical concert tickets for the

Three Irish Tenors....

 

I cried like a baby when Mom gave Warren and I

a vacation that involved a four concert event

in my favorite Southern Gospel genre.

 

I have another favorite gift to show you

but it is going to get its own post.

It is something pretty.

Warren and Jonathan did well.

 

My brother took a huge risk

by giving Bev a car cover

instead of a garage.

Yes, there is a bit of a difference.

She actually liked it.

He scores.

 

Later in the day Bev's sister, Betsy,

arrived from Ohio

and then Pastor Mike

and our friend Jenny came for a delicious dinner.

Allan made venison with a creamy wild mushroom sauce.

(He and Bev are educated in mushroom collection)

Jonathan made a Dr. Pepper Ham.

Which was very good.

 

We ate....laughed....talked....ate...

 

Then went outside and launched chinese

lanterns.  We were thankful that it had lightly snowed

so there was plenty of moisture should the lantern

come down before being extinguished.

If you haven't seen them it is like a small

tissue paper hot air balloon.

There was a breeze so they went up, up, up

and off into the distance.

Well, all but the first one.

It was like the kite that found the neighborhood tree.

But it burned itself out as we watched.

 

All in all this Christmas will go down in

history as one of our favorites.

Pretty gifts,

Yummy food,

delightful people

and

the true reason remembered.