Merry Christmas

"It comes every year and will go on forever. And along with Christmas belong the keepsakes and the customs. Those humble, everyday things a mother clings to, and ponders, like Mary in the secret spaces of her heart."
~ Marjorie Holmes

It is approaching 3:00 o'clock on Christmas Eve, my favorite day of the year. The table is set for our red and white Canadian themed Christmas. The beets, carrots, parsnips and onions have been prepared for roasting. The brussel sprouts are washed and waiting to be steamed in orange juice and orange zest. All the gifts are wrapped in red and white paper and ribbons. And I am about to slip into a hot bath before I dress to greet our family for dinner. We are a small group again this year - just ten. Cath and Stan, Marg and Bob, Gail and Frank, and Nancy will join Merv, Jacob and I for our annual Christmas Eve dinner. I'm usually a bit stressed around this time but today, I am not. It feels easy this year. I decided to set the table last night which gave me an extra hour or so this morning.

I usually plan my table far in advance but this year I didn't even settle on the table gifts until the day before yesterday. I struggled to put my finger on something that would suit my red and white Canadian theme. In the end, I bought big fat, chocolate-filled candy canes and Tim Horton's gift cards. I used my Christmas china and crystal, red tablecloth and white poinsettia napkins and Gail sent a bouquet of white freesia and pine. The table looks pretty.

Though Jacob is grown, I find myself unable to let go of those Christmas traditions I started when he was small. So this afternoon I'll put Jacob's new pajamas on his bed and sometime late tonight when all the guests have gone I will put out Merv's and Jacob's stockings which I have already filled. Then I'll slip into my new Christmas pajamas, pour myself a glass of wine and watch It's a Wonderful Life for the fiftieth time. I love Christmas.