Christmas

 I have led adult church school classes three times over the years both in Raleigh and in South Bend on the topic of simplifying Christmas.  But I still get caught up in the stress of finding gifts for everyone on our list.  I love each person and want to find the perfect gift but am at a loss as to what that gift is. 

At least there are no work obligations or parties.  There are choir rehearsals with our Grace Notes Choir and our two Advent Communion services but that is nothing like some long choir rehearsals in the past--or playing the organ for Christmas Eve services.  Last  night we listened via Livestream to grandson Michael's George Washington Jazz Orchestra's Holiday Concert and saw and heard Michael featured with trombone solos a few times.  Maybe we can do some other livestream events for the Conway grandchildren.  

One traditional gift that is expected by the grandchildren is a chocolate letter of their names.  The letters have been ordered from VanderVeen's The Dutch Store and they have arrived.  I have learned to order them plenty in time for Christmas.  

Almost all the other gifts have arrived from Amazon and Land's End.  I miss seeing the stores all decorated for Christmas but online shopping is so convenient. 

I have ordered Shutterfly cards this year with a family photo of the whole VK gang--18 of us on the steps of the Ocean Grove cottage Laura and Michael rent each year.  I love getting family photos from others and so this year I will reciprocate.  

We have also learned to get our little table top tree on time.  Last year we found one with difficulty at a local nursery.  This year we went to Whole Foods where we have purchased trees many other years and found plenty of choices.  It is so easy to put it up--already in its little stand.  One string of lights is enough.  However, half of the string suddenly died today so we may need to go to Amazon one more time.  

I have made sugar cookie dough for a cookie baking session tomorrow with Laura and Ruth.  My sister sent me the recipe which she thinks I sent her years ago and that it came from our Grandma Vander Molen.  My memory is that  Grandma did not have a recipe but just did a pinch of this or that.  However, this recipe tasted to me like I remember her cookies tasted.  The dough has to be refrigerated for several hours so it had to be made ahead of time.  Ruth bought some fancy cookie cutters which she showed me on Thanksgiving.  They will even make impressions in the dough.  Good thing, because we searched everywhere and cannot find our cookie cutters--one more thing missing from our move here.  I found red and green sugars at Target this week so we should be all set to decorate. Laura and Ruth have made gingerbread cookie dough ahead of time because it also needed to be refrigerated.  This event has taken some planning! 

Every year I say I will not make banket again, but once again I ordered several pounds of almond paste from The Dutch Store.  The folks I have given banket to have been so enthusiastic about it--including Alonso, one of our maintenance men here at Barclay Square who even wondered if I could make it for Halloween too!  It went over very well with our grand-daughter's partner's parents who brought some home for the grandmother on his side.  So I will probably take a deep breath and roll out the crusts and fill them up again. 

I will add photos of the baking session tomorrow. 

December 8 An unexpected joy while walking to the municipal parking lot after church was coming up on the Tigertones, a Princeton University male Acapella group, singing O Holy Night.  They were huddled in a doorway and sang without printed music.  It was so beautiful.  It gave me chills.  It was a Christmas gift to me "O Night Divine, the night Christ was born."  I told one of them I had never heard it sung more beautifully and that was true for my 78 years!  

Cookie baking with Laura and Ruth was a treat in many ways.  Good cookies and good company! And Ruth requested a Scrabble game with her grandmother--and helped hang ornaments on our little tree.

----------December 13  One small crisis was averted I hope.  Land's End sent me just one of the fleeces I ordered for James and Michael.  I checked their website and the second one was backordered for January 25!  With some difficulty I contacted Land's End and used text messaging to change the order to another size and color.  That is being processed right now--I just checked their website. So we may get that by Christmas after all!