Christmas 2025

On Christmas Eve, we attended our 4 pm church service as a family. Jonathan had to go early to help set up. We sang a lot of carols (more than last year) interspersed with Scripture. It is always interesting to see the family members that join regular attenders for Christmas Eve. We end the service with candles and singing Silent Night followed by Jesus Name Above All Names. We had someone take our photo at the front of the church. That's the photo at the top.

We had dinner out as a family after church. This year we went to Anthony's in Edmonds for a somewhat casual meal. J and C had fish and chips. A had rockfish and I had salmon fettucine with vegetables.

On Christmas Day we had a breakfast casserole and then opened presents. I thought that J had a large pile of gifts so I took a photo of it. 

This was the first year when both boys had money to spend to buy gifts. 

A received a Seahawks jersey (Jaxon Smith-Njigba), the promise of a new monitor, some TinTin books that I bought at Bolen Books in Victoria, snacks, a large insulated shopping bag for his favourite grocery store (Trader Joe's), and a quarter zip sweater which is wine coloured.

C received a Calgary Flames jersey. I purchased it in Victoria back in September. He also received a Spike Ball Titan set which he was very excited to receive. It will be tricky getting it to LA since a car didn't come back with the boys this Christmas. He also received a sweatshirt and a Lego set from A. C also received some books, a tea infuser that is shaped like a pig, a case for a Kindle, and some shortbread.

J received some targets for shootings (not pictured), a sling for carrying a gun, the promise of a new watch that he was wanted for years, a book, a set of DVDs of Clint Eastwood movies, a winter scarf, cigars, and savory snacks.

I received a gold cross pendant, tickets for an upcoming Seattle Symphony concert, an essential oils diffuser, the book War and Peace, a stuffed Corgi (from C), a coffee cup with Christmas teddy bears on it, Winnie the Pooh key rings, a calendar, and teas of various kinds. I got one of my cross stitch project custom framed and that was essentially a gift since framing is pricey. I also received a gardener's tool belt which has a place to hold snippers.  A's gift to me was the ticket to the Seahawks game on December 18th. 

C did such a great job buying stocking stuffers that we jokingly said we'd hire him to shop next year.

After opening gifts, J and I worked on cooking. I laid the table. This is my favourite part. 

The flowers on the table did double duty. They decorated the altar table at church for the Christmas Eve service.

We ate at 5 pm. Our menu: Prime Rib, Yorkshire Pudding, Roasted Vegetables (with a rosemary orange and honey glaze), and Mashed Potatoes. I made a black forest chocolate trifle for dessert.  

Prime Rib is pretty pricey so I am grateful that we can afford this luxury. We did Christmas crackers. Unfortunately, the ones I bought were a dud. No good cracking sound when we pulled them and there were missing crowns and prizes. They were from Paper Source.

Here's my Christmas tree. It is a prelit tree but some of the lights have quit working, unfortunately. 

I phoned my mom in the evening. I was so grateful that she had someone to be with on Christmas Day. This is her first Christmas alone since my dad passed in June. She was invited for Christmas lunch with a friend in an adjoining building. 

Here she is with her friend.

Christopher set this up on our TV. It is music plus a beautiful image. It is from YouTube.

I'm so thankful to be together as a family this year. I don't take it for granted. 

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Christmas 2024

I love Christmas. I admit it. Almost everything about it. Food, gift giving, wearing Christmas sweaters, sending and receiving Christmas cards, decorating, singing Christmas carols, and pondering the Incarnation. I love my Christmas tree.

I'm so happy to have my boys home for Christmas break. Recently, I saw a sweatshirt that a lady was wearing that said "Life is better with my boys." That sums up how I feel. 

This year I was in a Christmas choir. We sang during worship services on December 15th and 22nd. 

The woman next to me in the gold blouse and black skirt is my friend Jill. We are in the alto section.

We attended the Christmas Eve service at our church. It is held at 4 pm which allows people to still have dinner with their families. I like to take the day off from cooking the day before a big meal.  After church we went to a Chinese stir fry restaurant. It was a good choice. Not too fancy but pretty healthy. 

On Christmas morning we ate the Bacon and Cheese Strata that I made the day before. We then opened presents. It was hard to buy for A since he gave us his list at the last minute. He was very busy this month wrapping up his studies. He is now finished with college.

Here are J's presents:

- from A: a case for his rifle 

- from C: an old Life magazine with Winston Churchill on the cover.

- from me: a DVD of the movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

- a selection of hot sauces

- from A: a steel target

- from me: a gold tie

- from me: a tie clip. J says he has never owned a tie clip before!

- small food gifts 

Here are C's presents:

- a pouch to hold ammunition

- a pro life t shirt

- a collection of specialty bar soaps

- a shoulder strap for his rifle

- a book about history

- a comic book

Here are A's presents. Some of them will be exchanged later for exactly what he wants.

- a new water bottle (Hydro Flask)

- one of his favourite snacks

- a case for holding his cables and equipment

- a hard drive. He needs to have a lot of storage for the videos that he edits.

- a book about a TV show he likes

- a set of DVDs of a TV show

- a gift card to a supplements store

My presents

- pretty tote bags for grocery shopping

- note cards

- 2 jigsaw puzzles. The one on the left is tea cups and the other is Hercule Poirot a fictional character in mysteries by Agatha Christie.

- from A: an ergonomic keyboard for my computer

- a book about literature

- from C: a tin of tea

- from C: a book about tea

- from C: a notebook

- from Jonathan - an anniversary band (ring). Here is a close up photo that C took. The photo makes it look large but it is not. It is a very slim ring. J and I picked it out together on the Saturday before Christmas.

This was our Christmas menu:

- Prime Rib

- Mashed Potatoes

- Spinach Kiwi Strawberry Salad

- Yorkshire Pudding

- Chocolate Cake from Whole Foods

Here's my plate with the food:

I enjoy setting up a fancy table. 

We did the traditional Christmas crackers but I don't have photos of us with our crowns on. The others were getting tired of me taking photos.

When we were getting ready to take a family photo, C took this photo. I think it is sweet.

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Our Christmas 2022

We had a very nice Christmas this year. J and I managed to stay healthy the entire time. Unfortunately, A flew home from school (on the 17th) while feeling really sick. He was sick until about Christmas Eve. Here's our tree 

We received lots of cards this year. Probably the most we've ever received.

We have 24 cards as of Dec 31st. We sent out 58.

We did turkey this year. Last year we had prime rib and it wasn't a hit. I wrote a note to myself to do turkey this Christmas. J wanted to try roasting turkey with bacon on top. It was a hit.

My table centre came from Costco.

My main gift was a potting bench which arrived disassembled. That doesn't photograph well! Once it is assembled, I'll post a photo on Instagram. I also got a shepherd and a camel for my nativity set.

J got a "great coat" from me. He had to buy it for himself since he had to try it on. He also received baclava (the Greek food). 

A got some flannel shirts, a dressier shirt in his favourite colour (mint green), a portable charger for his phone, a 5 year diary, a movie Blu Ray, storage for his digital files, and a new boomerang.

A also got a funny gift from C. C put a loaf of bread, peanut butter and a bag of apples in a box. Those are A's favourite lunch supplies.

C received a Bible, some t shirts that reflect his interests (cars and hiking), a book, a poster from a movie he likes, a 5 year diary, and some hiking themed fun socks.

The boys received a Lego car which they put together on Christmas Day. They have't received Lego for many years.

The main family activity we did was going to see the lights at Evergreen Church.

It keeps getting better and better each year.  They have free cookies (2 kinds), hot drinks for sale, a model train set up, volunteers everywhere willing to take photos, an amazing music and light show, light tunnels, and fake snow. Inside one building they had this nativity inflatable.

The night we went to Evergreen was so cold! A even wore pants as you can see in the photo at the top. 

C, A, and I put together a Christmas themed jigsaw puzzle. 

I revived a tradition this year. There is a man at our church who was widowed about 10 years ago. I started bringing him a selection of cookies after his wife died. He wasn't at in person church for the last 2 years. Since he has returned I made up a box of cookies for him and gave it to him on December 18th. It was very much appreciated. 

Christmas Day was busy this year. We are on "set up" for December at church. We had church service and then tear down. C's friend (and his younger brother) came over as part of a scavenger hunt that is a tradition in his family. 

That's B in the green, directing his brother

We had K spray fake snow on C's 2nd story window 

and J had the boys create some smoke bombs in the backyard. 

We ate our turkey dinner at about 5 pm. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing/dressing, and cranberry sauce.

We had chocolate mousse from Costco for dessert.

I'm always a little frustrated at how quickly the special meal is consumed. My boys eat fast and so does my husband. We always do Christmas crackers and wear the paper hats. I didn't get a photo of that. A fell asleep after dinner. Once he woke up we took a family photo. 

I'm so thankful to be together as a family. Some people's flights were cancelled and their Christmas plans were derailed. My friend's family was supposed to come from Texas but their flight was cancelled and they didn't come. I also know of a family trying to get back to the Seattle area and they were literally stuck at the Chicago airport on Christmas Day!

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Christmas Fun with the Seniors

I left home on Friday morning December 10th. I only went up for the weekend. Along the way, I stopped in at Ragfinery in Bellingham. It is an interesting thrift store focused on textiles. A sewing/quilting friend recommended it to me. 

I crossed into Canada without any problems. There was a 10 minute wait in the car line. I was asked for negative Covid test results but wasn't asked to show my vaccine card. That was surprising. Apparently the rules have changed in that if you visit Canada for less than 72 hours, a test isn't required anymore. I'm glad I had one done just in case.

I presented my mom with the quilt that I made for her. I started it in February. I didn't work on it all the time in the months previous since I also made a quilt for A. The piecing was done by hand. I machine quilted Mom's quilt using a machine that I borrowed from a book club friend. Quilting by machine saved me weeks, maybe months of work. Here is the quilt, finished, ready to give. 

I was so anxious to give it to my mom that it was the very first thing I did on Friday afternoon when I arrived.

Sometimes older people and smart phones don't mix very well. My dad tried multiple times to take a photo of me and mom with the quilt, to no avail. Here's a selfie instead.

Mom sitting on the quilt.

On Saturday morning I enjoyed breakfast the Village Restaurant in the little neighbourhood of Esteven which isn't too far from my parents' apartment. This is what I had.

My family and I have eaten there many years before. Here is a photo of J and the boys eating outside in November 2012. I'm glad the restaurant survived Covid. 

I "crashed" the Seniors banquet on Saturday afternoon. The "Prime Timers" met in person for this event for the first time in 2 years. When my parents signed me up, I was number 49 of the 50 person limit! We had a turkey dinner, sang Christmas carols, and heard a short message. I won the table prize which is funny since I'm not a senior. We had Christmas crackers. That's why we are wearing paper hats.

On Sunday morning I drove my dad to church. My mom stays home and watches the live stream. I enjoy seeing how other churches decorate for Christmas since I instigated the decorations at my church.

Sorry, Mom, but the Grey Cup was boring. I couldn't get excited about Hamilton vs. Winnipeg. I don't know any players nor do I really care about either team. I had to resort to reading a book! At least it was a good book - God's Hostage by Andrew Brunson. 

On Sunday evening we had dinner at the Oak Bay Hotel in the Snug Pub. We were here back in September to celebrate my parents' birthdays. This time we were just celebrating being together. 

The Grey Cup went into overtime so that kept my parents' attention for a while. I took this sneaky photo of them watching the game on the TV.

Mom and I had salmon with tropical cheesecake for dessert. Dad had a chicken sandwich, if I remember correctly. The Christmas tree in the lobby of the Oak Bay Hotel was beautiful.

On Monday morning I had a lukewarm shower and had "tea" made with water that wasn't hot. I really didn't like the Craigmyle where I stayed. The only thing I enjoyed was sitting in the dining room (which wasn't serving breakfast) and seeing the Craigdarroch Castle through the window.

I left the hotel about 7:30 am and made the 9 am ferry. The coffee (called cappuccino) from the machine was actually drinkable.

I had a little trouble at the border. My green card expired in September and I forgot to bring the paperwork that proves that I have gone through all the hoops for the renewal (paid the fees, had fingerprints taken, etc.) and I'm just waiting for the new card to come in the mail. I was held for 30 minutes until they finally found me in the system and let me into the U.S. They seem to enjoy making you sweat! I felt like I was in the penalty box.

As I reflect on the trip, I'm glad I was able to go be with my parents in the Christmas season. We haven't been together at Christmas for many years. I'm thankful that I could give the quilt to my mom in person.

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