December 24

It was a lovely Christmas Eve.

It began with church, where our family did the Advent reading and the lighting of the love and Christ candles. Something about the innate beauty of the season made the service seem more special to my ears and significant to my heart, so I was grateful for that gift. (And I'm also grateful for our friend Laura, who took photos for me and sent them my way!)

A little later in the day, Adam made gingerbread dough and we all decorated cookies; some of us showed our creative and artistic talents more obviously than others. (Spoiler alert: I was not one of the gifted ones.)

When the time came, dinner was served in the dining room on the good china and consisted of steak, potatoes, bacon-wrapped green beans, and scratch-made rolls, all prepared by Adam. (He was a busy kitchen elf today.)

And then this evening, we screened Home Alone and put out cookies and milk for Santa before the kiddos went off to bed. At this moment, Adam and I are watching Die Hard, which he was shocked to hear I'd never seen.

Yes, it was a lovely family day, and I am grateful for every sweet moment.