Best Christmas EVER!

I know, I know, you think the EVER is a little much. But it is just fact. The only thing that makes me excited is that there may be better ones in the future. So let's look at the list.

1. We had all the kids and grandkids here for a couple of days. No arguments, well, unless you count the thermostat argument. We discovered Christmas morning at breakfast, after the Santa had come and gifts had been exchanged, that each of our kids and their spouses have differing views of what the temperature ought to be for optimum sleeping. By my count the thermostat, in one night, was changed 4 times. The really stunning thing is that my oldest daughter and her husband really had no opinion and only changed it once. My son and his wife were sleeping in a room we just converted from an office to a bedroom and, well, apparently they thought it was a little warm. So when they went to bed, they changed the setting to 60. Which transformed the other two bedrooms into North Pole type rooms. When my eldest went to bed, she thought it was a little cool, so she turned it to 75. Sometime after 11PM, my son got up and changed it back to 60 because his wife had a dream that she was dying of thirst and couldn't get any water. At 3AM my youngest with her 3 month old, woke up and with baby crying realized it was sub-arctic , moved the baby into bed with them and reset the thermostat to 75, thus starting the cycle all over again. I think I'm going to put one of those cages on the thermostat with a key, but
I really don't want them coming downstairs at all hours of the night to get us to change the setting. By the way, yours truly and my bride slept just fine. But it was great fun listening to them give each other a hard time about resetting the temp. Finally after 30 years of teaching they finally understand that what you do affects others...never thought of using the thermostat.
2. Great food. We have started a tradition introduced by my first S-i-L of having Pisoli(spelling?) Christmas eve, a sort of New Mexican dish but with hominy. I skip the hominy, but eat the pork roast. Baked Ziti, Christmas cookies, big breakfasts, all good food, with my favorite people. What's not to like.
3. Non-expensive gifts to me from my kids. I always try to develop a list that costs very little. I don't mind spending a little on Christmas, I just hate having it spent on me. Probably the best thing was a serving platter decorated with my grandkids feet imprints and hands...and yes, a future nod to one who will be here around the first of July.
4. Time with Eli and Phoebe and Lincoln. I will just sum it up to say that I cannot hear "Grandaddy" too many times. It is tonic for the soul.

Finally, this was a great Christmas where all my kids and grandkids and bride are all in a good place. This past year has marked deep and intense prayers for each one. They all had struggle, they all had heartache, they all were making decisions that would impact their world and ours. So I spent the year on my knees pleading for my little family, asking God to intervene, to support, to simply answer. And He did, as He always does. Sometimes quietly, sometimes openly, but He chose this year year to test us all, then bless us all. I was on hand to see tremendous character revealed in each of my in-law kids. I found that their tears impact me in the same way as the tears of my own. But I also was on hand to see their smiles, their gratitude, and their fortitude. There will be times to come that will test us again, but we will be ready, with our faith, our memories, and our character.

This was, indeed, the best one yet.

Godspeed, the new year is full of promise, but what a way to end this one.
Don