F-Word Friday - Full Of Grace

Oh hi!

Me again, the girl who wasn't going to post for a week and a half!

Christmas was lovely; I'm sitting at 8AM in my friend Nova's living room, using her laptop (oh someday... someday) and enjoying the snowy view from her brand new windows.

Christmas Eve ended up being fantastic!

After leaving TR with his other gift (a bottle of mead from beautiful Lindisfarne - more on that later!) and a couple of awesome CDs (and a box of Happy Cakes), I made my way home, braved the grocery store (in and out in 20 minutes on Christmas Eve - I deserve an award or something), stopped at Papa Murphy's for pizza (take and bake is so the way to go) and headed home...

Right when my guests were arriving. AWESOME.

Thank goodness they know me well - they were not shocked.

I popped the pizzas in the oven, threw together all the salad makings, made a couple of people some hot cocoa perfection (it just takes a splash of milk), sampled a cupcake (I deserved it after all that running!), and then sat down with a glass of wine.

You know how it goes.

After our makeshift dinner (pizza always works), we sat and enjoyed each others company awhile, playing Wii Sports Resort (courtesy of TR - what a wonderful present!) and eating our very happy Happy Cakes (my favorite - Sugar Cookie). Then they (The Kid's uncle and grandfather and grandfather's girlfriend) headed to their respective homes and The Kid & I took a breath.

Then we did something that I hadn't done in 20 years, and The Child had never experienced...

Midnight Mass.

Ok, Ten PM Mass.

I'm not sure if it's just Longmont, land of Everything's-Closed-By-9PM, or papal decree (apparently the new Pope is too pooped to party that late), but I had to assume the former. It is Longmont, after all... maybe we were the inspiration?

Anyway, it was off to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, which was not the cathedral I was hoping for but pretty nonetheless, for lots of loud singing (my favorite part of the whole deal - I can harmonize and try for the high notes and only those nearest will really know) and a little inspiration.

I actually really liked the message the priest imparted... being a candle in the darkness. Sometimes all it takes is being nice to someone to set off a whole random chain of positivity. To illustrate this, they had handed everyone a small taper candle as they came in, and at the end of the service as he was talking about being lights in the darkness, everyone had their candles lit by each other, and then they turned down the lights and we all sang Oh Holy Night.

Not a dry eye, at least in my row.

And we were home by 11! The Pope is on to something.

After a quick trip to ferry our neighbor to the (thankfully open) convenience store for Midnight Milk, it was home again for us. The Child headed to bed, the presents went under the tree, and I settled in to watch my very favorite version of A Christmas Carol (the one with George C. Scott).

I made it through 10 minutes.

Christmas morning, we managed to sleep until 8:30 (remember those days of waking your parents up at 5AM? Or at least, waking up at 5AM, going to check if Santa came, and then going back to bed since you had been threatened with death and dismemberment the last time you pulled that?), and then it was up and on to the presents!

The Kid had a good bunch of stuff this year, in particular her brand new camera, which is super cool and I want one. She also got a few movies & CDs, but the camera was the main thing so, ya know...

Quality over quantity.

She didn't complain.

And I even got gifts! She railroaded her grandfather into "helping her get me gifts" (read: buying them and letting her take the credit), and I received a couple of really lovely-smelling candles from Yankee Candle.

She knows me so well!

We lazed around a bit, and then it was off to Greeley, where I remain at this very moment, and wait until I show you a picture of what my lovely friend Nova got me.

There'll be a picture-laden post soon, full of photos of goodies and things I made, but for now...

It's off to have a little breakfast and then head home and finish a few crafty things, and clean my house in anticipation of my mom and aunt and uncle and cousins arriving Monday for a week of insanity and bliss.

I hope your holiday, however you spent it, was lovely and peaceful.