We just finished up Christmas Day 2023 and it’s been one of the best holidays we’ve experienced in a long time I believe.
Of course as my pastor reminded me during one of his sermons a few weeks back as Advent was beginning, the 12 days of Christmas don’t conclude until the first Sunday in January.
Still, the traditional Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are over for another year.
I really believe this year the week leading up to last Saturday and Sunday and then Christmas Day was really special.
First, we had the privilege of having our fiveyear-old grandson Liam with us beginning late last Friday afternoon. He spent Friday evening and the weekend with us until it was time to take him back to our daughter Meghan and son-in-law Terry’s home late Christmas Eve afternoon and spend some more with him and them.
Meghan and Terry also invite a neighbor, who otherwise would be by herself, to join us as well.
We spent several hours over there, visiting, having dinner, and then watching Liam open the presents that Pat (Gigi) and I (Mike) got him for Christmas. At a little over 5 years old, he was really into Christmas this year.
We also presented Meg and Terry each with a gift and a little something extra.
Liam asked my wife a few weeks back were we going to have lots of presents for him and she ensured him we would which we did.
The little guy’s truly a blessing in our lives. It was so much fun having him at our house for last weekend leading into Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, something we hadn’t really done previously.
I went to Mass at St. Gregory’s Chapel Sunday morning and then again for Christmas Eve night after we had returned home from being with our family.
A little before heading to Mass Christmas Eve, Meg called her mom and asked if they could come over Christmas Day afternoon to spend some more time like we use to do frequently until several years ago.
Of course it was. On Christmas morning Pat and I leisurely enjoyed our coffee before checking out stockings and opening a few presents.
Pat fixed a nice breakfast, then we took it easy and rested a little before the Meghan, Terry and Liam came over and spent several hours again.
What really made our Christmas so special was the amount of time we spent with our family this year, not hurrying, just taking it all in and being with one another.
Keeping in our minds too, the reason for the season.