Christmas is Coming....

What, you say? It's time to focus on Noisemakers and Resolutions? Wal-Mart has heart-shaped boxes of candy in the seasonal aisle now, so Christmas is past?

If I counted right, today is the Sixth Day of Christmas.

Anyone have any fresh goose eggs they want to share?

Um, didn't think so.

Yes, we're bucking the whole country...but Christmas isn't over at our house. In fact, Christmas hasn't even really been experienced at our house yet.

We braved frigid temps, freezing rain (when it's raining and the temp is 17 degrees Fahrenheit, you bet it freezes on contact. Not what you want to experience whilst driving on US 31 North. That was one of the scariest four and half hours of my life...all I can say is, God is good, and I appreciate the obviously very heavy angels He sent along to sit on the top of our van to keep us on the road as we saw other folks exploring the side ditches), snow, high winds, fog that had us squinting from one telephone pole to another...oh, and thunderstorms to spend the last week with family.

And it was a wonderful visit. The highlight may have been the Caroling Party (the reason we were driving on the ice -- we had to be there in time to sing!). I've mentioned the Family Caroling Tradition before (most recently in The 2nd Advent Study), and this year we did it a bit differently.

As near as we can figure, the last time we gathered to carol was six years ago. The senior members of the two-family choir are finding it more and more difficult to get out and about in the cold and the snow, which was a large reason why we haven't gone lately. But this summer we began planning and we decided whoever could make it would meet and carol to our parents.

Which is what we did. There were 7 of the 'kids' and 5 'grandkids' representing both of the families that slyly met and went unannounced to parental doorsteps. My Dear In-laws were worried about us being in so late, with the road conditions the way they were, but they got over it pretty quickly once they saw what was going on. They were the third of three sing-to-parents stops and the snow was just changing over to sleet in Elkhart as we sang to them. They stood on the steps and sang with us...and said we had to invite them next year. So perhaps the caroling tradition will not fade away just yet.

But, that was there. Here at our house, the stockings have yet to be filled and the tree has yet to have gifts under it. So we will be celebrating Christmas at home on New Year's Day...the day of New Beginnings...the 8th day of Christmas.

Tonight we're eating pizza and watching 'The Muppet Christmas Carol'. Finally.

Merry Christmas ;)