Quiet Christmas Night

Christmas here has been a whole lotta relaxin' in front of the fire. And Christmas Eve was the same. I did have to put in a fair amount of kitchen time--grazing has continued from sun-up to bedtime. It was worth it, as far as I'm concerned. Santa was good to us and everyone is content.

The bittersweet part of Christmas is that it always brings thoughts of family and friends who are no longer with us. We honored their memory by telling some favored frequently-retold stories of Christmas Past and by making a few special recipes that always conjure up the memories. The kids have heard the stories so many times that the relatives they never knew are very real to them. Caroline made ginger cookies this afternoon, from my grandmother's recipe. A perfect touch.

This afternoon my cousin Jane and family came for holiday cheer and a laid-back dinner. The menu included stuffed shells, glazed carrots, asparagus, an excellent salad and garlic bread(both courtesy of Jane), and cherry cheesecake dessert.

I intend to do as little as possible tomorrow, and what little I do had better include some knitting. The Birthday is now looming five days away and the heat is on to finish the mutidirectional scarf already.