Winter Light

Our Christmas was wonderful. This year we celebrated by setting the table with my great-grandparent's wedding china and silver, and water goblets my grandparents received as a gift for their wedding. All of those family members are long deceased and it was nice to have a part of them here, with my Mom did exclaiming, "Grandma Lillian would be so offended if she knew her wedding china was being laid upon a striped tablecloth!" Finding my Gramma's card tucked into the dishes, a Christmas gift to my Mom in 1987, was another welcome glimpse into the past. I love being able to host a big dinner here, even if it means Vincent needs to get creative with seating. This year he rearranged the living room and brought in the picnic table to give us enough seating. By the end of the evening, though, everything was returned to its proper place.

We spend the rest of the holiday break mostly at home, reading new books and playing with new toys, cooking, rearranging and paring down. Before Christmas we moved the refrigerator, swapping it with a set of cabinets on another wall, and it has made a huge difference! The kitchen feels twice as big now. It was my favorite Christmas gift.

Right now it is quite cold, below freezing with a very cold wind that makes it feel 10 degrees colder than it actually is. It is bright and sunny, giving the most beautiful winter light. The kids are back at school, Vincent is back at work, and I am happy to be back in this familiar routine. We've added some new classes for the kids, one of which is at our dinner time, so I'm figuring out what our new normal is going to be for those evenings; chili in the slow cooker?