On The 4th Day of Christmas ....

..... It's a quiet Sunday afternoon here in the woods; and I'm finally finding a little time to reflect on what the Merry Season has meant for us this year.

I've been fighting a respiratory infection for the last two weeks, so I've been very thankful that the usual chores intrinsic to Christmas preparations were well and truly done early in December. Thus, the last week-plus of the Advent time I've been able to spend wrapped in warmth, as the rains and cold weather swept into our north woods. Many a day I sat before the wood stove in the parlor, with a wooly throw over my lap, reading a bit and dozing – while John, my dear, ran about stoking the fire, shopping for groceries, and cooking nourishing meals. And I've slept, oh how I have slept! (I have to get out of this 10-hours-a-night routine soon!)

But in spite of that, we've had some very nice little celebration times. Joe, Kathie, and Josh came up in early December for a supper before the fire, bringing lovely gifts for us before they had to go down to Santa Barbara for the holiday. And on Christmas night, Julie and her family came along for dinner, bringing more gifts to delight us. In the meantime, the UPS, FedEx, and post-person made almost daily treks up the mountain to bring us packages from everywhere. We have been so blessed!

Well, there are eight more days until Twelfth Night signals the end of the Yuletide celebrations; we plan to carry on as we've begun, with quiet days and nights in our woodland home, surrounded by lovely gifts – and the loveliest gift of all is the knowledge of the joy that we hear when we speak to each of our family members by phone or electronic communications. Though most of us are far apart in physical distance, I know we all are together in spirit.