It's almost over - just need the Fat Lady to sing and I'm warming up my vocals!  Every day from Thanksgiving to New Year's to the 11th day of Christmas has been filled with fun...even those two weeks of the flu - I kid you not, it was the best holiday season we've ever had...well, except that we didn't have the grandkids (but they were here on Thanksgiving and helped me pick our Christmas tree) or my parents - that was very sad for me - and for the first time EVER we didn't have anyone here on Christmas morning (and I might still be crying about that!)  No ONE but me, the mister and Rosie...it was kind of hard to be alone, I missed all the chaos and merry-making but we did our best to make the best of it and it somehow worked!  The boy and his bride showed up in the afternoon and that's when Christmas really began!

I just wanted to show you a bit of the fun before Christmas becomes too distant a memory - from the Seattle Wheel all lit up in red and green (I promise it was, just can't see the true colors here) to the giant Gingerbread Houses at the Sheraton - an annual favorite tradition for everyone and a first for little Sophie, my new best friend!  This year's theme was Harry Potter and they were spectacular!  I loved them so much I went home and made myself another gingerbread house...curiously, it didn't turn out anywhere nearly as spectacular - and I even spelled the word Christmas wrong!!  Thanks to the new app, Catchy, I was able to take pictures of Santa in every room of our house!  With the help of our neighbors, the Tantillo's, we decided to throw a last minute party for our neighbors so I've included pics of our Christmas Eve feast.  The mister, who was in his usual Grinch-mode, was thrilled when the last of our guests left at 7:15 pm to go home to do their own Christmas Eve traditions!  He claimed it the best party ever since it lasted all of two hours!  I got to see a real live reindeer and I would swear that he winked at me...yes, the reindeer and I had a moment... and it was the 20th year (I think) of the live Nativity at our church, where our youth performed outside in the bitter cold!!  It's our tradition to have Homemade spaghetti and meat-a-balls on Christmas day and this year I made the boy MAKE the pasta - and now I think that will have to be an annual tradition, too!  We had left-over desserts from our Christmas Eve feast but even so, I had to make a new one on Christmas day...SO many desserts it was embarrassing...I might just have some kind of dessert syndrome!  I got to sit on the REAL Santa's lap, and over the course of three days I made 650 caramels (re-read the line about the dessert syndrome) and somehow found the time to host a wee gathering for some old friends.  Then there was the decorating...which continued right up until Christmas Day!  I kept finding things in the Christmas boxes in the garage that screamed at me to be put out for all to see - and to think I was trying to go "minimal" this year!  Ha!  Along with you, there was the shopping and the wrapping and the mailing of gifts - all I can tell you about that is the Mailpost made a tidy little profit off of our pile of packages!  Sheesh!!!  Gifts cards for everyone next year and I mean that!! 

     

             

2016 was not the best year for our family - we had a lot of ups and downs - several hospitalizations, three surgeries and we maxed out our insurance deductible and out of pocket expenses! I'm hoping not to see one doctor in 2017! And that is my New Year wish for you, too! Stay healthy and warm and get going on NEXT year's Christmas list now! You've only got 354 days left!