Countdown to Christmas

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a stainless steel convection oven. I know it doesn't have the same "ring", but what's a girl to do? Last weekend, my oven stopped working. It was likely due to the marathon baking session that we had last Wednesday. Anyway, the service technician came out only to take a look and say he'd need to order the part, which wouldn't come in until...hmmm...next Tuesday! The only problem with that arrangement is that I'm cooking Christmas dinner. Cooking holiday meals is a big deal-- a really big deal! That's how I know that this test of inconvenience has been passed. Of course, I don't want to celebrate prematurely. I've never cooked Christmas dinner in a counter top oven, so I'll have to make a few adjustments, but it will be okay. Like I said at Thanksgiving, if this is my biggest worry, I've got it pretty darned good!

Our family came in town today and the boys are thrilled. I know they appreciate the predictability. We'll go pick up our two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts (traditional Christmas morning breakfast) tomorrow. All presents are wrapped and hidden. Tomorrow night, the boys will go out with their dad and Papa to see Christmas lights. This tradition is really a ploy to get them to sleep quickly! Once they're in bed, we start bringing out all of the gifts. Some gifts have been underneath the tree since Thanksgiving. A few more were added along the way, but somehow they magically multiply in number. When we add Santa's burlap bags to the mix, it quickly gets out of hand. It's no coincidence that I usually clean out toy baskets in the fall in preparation for Christmas loot.

We'll eat and watch movies while the boys play with their new toys. It will take a few hours, but by the end of the day, they will have opened and tried out each gift. They'll certainly have their favorites. They'll likely end up playing a video game for the remainder of the evening and either fighting over and/or looking for one of their new gifts.

As exciting as this time of year is, I must say I'm even more excited about the new year! I can't wait to see what God has in store for us. Each year the ride gets more interesting, but I think I'm finally getting more comfortable in the passenger seat. Hmmm... did I just say that?