December 21

What a lovely, blessing-filled day it was. We started off by lighting the Advent candle of love at church as a family; after a brief snafu with the lighter, I --the appointed fire-starter-- managed to make the little flame dance on its wick. (And yes, Adam went up on stage wearing his ugly sweater. It was epic.)

From there, we drove up to Adam's parents' house for our first official Christmas gathering of the week. (There will be others!) We enjoyed a delicious "linner" that featured chicken cordon bleu, potatoes, and salad before the official gift-giving portion of the program commenced. There was lots of laughter (and cookies) and lots of photos snapped for posterity's sake. I do love looking back at these group pictures and I'm thankful that everyone else is willing to pose for them!

(The evening would've been better had the Ravens held on to beat the Pats, but we can't have everything.)

Anyway, it was a great day, and I am grateful to God for the blessings of family, fun, and holiday cheer. They're like the candies of this life that make living a whole lot sweeter.