Yes, you heard me right:  holiday *sloooooow*down.  Usually when I hear the word “holiday”, I think ramp-up, I think craziness, I think, “Oh, Heavens to Betsy, I’ll never get done everything that I have to do!  And oh, what more can I add to my list of incompleteness?!!”

But then came the snow.  And the snow.  And oh, the snow.

Then came the snowplows:  wait, they didn’t come.  So we haven’t left very much.

A lot of folks have mentioned how bummed they are at the amount of cancelled activities.  I actually enjoyed being homeward bound because, well, we couldn’t do anything!  We had to sit.  To relate.  To be.

Even driving in the car is more relational, with trips taking two to three times as long.  We’ve listened to the Catholic Kids Christmas program, the Car Talk Christmas pledge drive, and blasted the oft-repeated Womanizer (which JJ wonders if Teacher L will sing with him at school – great).  JJ has gasped while we hit potholes as Abe makes noises just so he can hear his voice warble as we bound, bound, bound, and rebound.

Travel is not easy, so folks actually being ready, willing, and able to commute becomes a gift in itself.  Meals have been simple, what with the store being out of eggs and butter.  No last minute trips for gifts:  what we’ve got is plenty good.  And Christmas packages arrived late, but hey:  at least they got here.  It’s truly the 12 days of Christmas!

Our Christmas Eve service was much smaller than usual:  the extended family couldn’t make it, so it was just us.  But as I looked around and saw so many others whom I know and love, I realized that our extended family really did make it, and I was so lucky to get to be with so many of them on my favorite day of the year.

The holidays aren’t over for us.  Family is still in town, and then we will leave town to visit, whaddya know, family.  Plans are being made, events are happening, some to which we can participate, some to which we can’t.  But some things will remain consistent:  books will be read, toys will be played with, video games will be enjoyed, food will be eaten, cookies will be baked, songs will be sung, conversations will be had, hugs will be shared, and we’ll continue to savor this gift we’ve been given.

[Yes, we do get cabin fever.  But then we also have this.

And a fairly empty garage.  Anybody's welcome to come over and hop for a while.]

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