Christmas Day was a quiet affair for the Chamblee family…NOT! You can’t have a gathering of thirty-plus people that includes one very excited four-year old, a number of boisterous millennials, at least a few can-you-top-this storytellers and enthusiastic sports fans, and not have chaos and pandemonium. The biennial Christmas day gathering occurs at the home of the elder of my two brothers. We had an afternoon gift exchange, which this year was a bit quieter than it has been in years past, followed a few hours later by the evening feast. And feast it was. It occurred to me this evening as I thought about the heaping platters of foods what a feast for the senses it was, and how very fortunate we are to have the means for preparing and serving such a wonderful array of delectable dishes. We are so blessed, and once again I echo the sentiments of our grace before meals, “we are truly grateful.”
I am exceedingly grateful for the time I spent with and around family this Christmas day. Thanks to technology I was able to video chat with my younger sister, who along with her children was checking in from her home in Maryland. I “carried her around” on my iPod, showing her what gifts people were exchanging, and she was able to see people opening gifts she’d sent them. She also joined us briefly after dinner to chat with people she hadn’t seen during her earlier “visit.” It was a way to make her part of our day. I wish they had video phones from heaven–it might have been nice to “Face Time” with Mom and Dad bringing them in to check in with the fam. But alas, we didn’t have access to that high level of technology. Still, my parents were present in many ways today. We are truly grateful.
This evening I finally got to hang out and play a long and hilarious game of “Scattergories” with my nieces and nephews. It was nice to laugh at completely outrageous inventions and wacky ideas that people came up with as we played the game. I wish I could have hung out even longer, but had to get back over here to get my own kids ready to travel. Tomorrow they fly out to spend some time with their Dad before heading back to California. I am grateful to have been able to spend this Christmas with both my kids (last year Jared had to work and was unable to travel for the holidays) and for them to be able to hang out with their cousins and aunts and uncles. Ice skating, bowling, talking into the wee hours of the night, and other activities both planned and impromptu provided them with enjoyable times and good memories of Christmas 2011. It’s a good way to wind down the year.
In my mind, I photographed many scenes from today. I have one more day here before heading back to California and some serious contemplation time. I will have a few days by myself before Jared returns. I hope to spend some of that time reflecting on what I want to let go of from 2011 and invite in for 2012. I don’t yet have a particular ritual planned for this, but it is definitely something I want to do. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy Monday eating leftovers and hanging out with the kinfolks, some of whom I probably won’t see again until next Christmas. I will savor the time, enjoy a few more moments of laughter, and be truly grateful.
