Wrapping it up

 I cant believe through all the December hustle and bustle,  the final days of preparation are coming to a close and leaving us with warm, cozy, twinly-light-vibe memories. 

We are finished the baking, shopping, wrapping and have watched all the movies we wanted to with the exception of just a couple. Our home is warm, smells like chocolate and our bathrooms are clean (something to seriously celebrate!). 

We focused on little traditions that we love to do including the live nativity. We ran into friends which made it even more special. I love this tradition. I love the reminder of the reason we celebrate Christmas after all. It brings the chaos right back down to a humble digestible amount and I am always so grateful we made the effort in the freezing cold to go. 

We skipped the hot chocolate and stopped at Peters Drive In for milkshakes and driving around to look at Christmas Lights. This house looking over the city was by far the very best! 

We even, at the last minute, decided that making 4 batches of cookies, dipping oreo cookies, chocolate cheese cake squares, dried oranges and sugared cranberries wasn't enough and that we should also do a couple batches of chocolates. I love that this tradition makes me feel close to Grandma Reed. It is SO MUCH WORK but we did it! 

We only did 3 batches. Peppermint, Cherry and Olympia Cream. 

We didn't count how many we got because it didn't really matter. We cared less about what they looked like (even though we absolutely encouraged to do better when it was super bad lol) and now will get all the benefits of these yummy chocolates that Grandma Reed adored so much.

Bentley even finished a big holiday project tonight. He was in charge of making an appitizer, a main course and a dessert. He is an awesome cook and loves being in the kitchen creating his own recipes. Tonight, with just a smidge bit of help, he made us broccoli with Shrimp linguine with homemade Alfrado sauce. We all had a few of the yummy chocolates for dessert. Great job, Bentley! 

But perhaps through all the chaos and mess and fun, Christmas Sunday might be one of the best Sunday's of the year. I love it so much. 

This year I read the sweetest passage of Christmas. It was so beautiful. 

"This is not how Christmas should be. We try and find the perfect tree, the perfect gift, the perfect picture for the Christmas card, the nice plates, the best meal, everyone home.. everything as it should be. We just want it to be perfect, but sometimes it isn't. The empty chair at the table, the not enough, the unexpected, the ends that don't meet, the diagnosis, the regret. Nothing expected or planned or hoped for. Nothing wanted, nothing perfect at all. And we think this isn't how Christmas should be.. but it's actually how Christmas began. It's the story of Christmas in a chilled stable, in an unknown city, messy, afraid alone, unexpected, forgotten. Nothing they planned for or expected or hoped for or wanted. Nothing perfect at all and then a baby's cry. The angle called him Immanuel, which means God with us. With us in the hurt, with us in the hard, with us in the unknown and unexpected. With us in the thing we never wanted. The picture of Christmas is a little family in a place and situation they never thought they's be in, but Jesus righ tthere in the middle.. with them, with us. On that day and every day after until everything is perfect just as it should be" 

Christmas Eve is tomorrow and we're going to celebrate until we are all celebrated out!