Liz and I got the idea to get Bob a cake as a Christmas gift. And since we were in Indy, we decided a stop at Heidelberg Hause – the place where my family got nearly every single birthday cake for me and my sister, as we were growing up.
Mid-morning today, I was down in the basement with Kirt helping to set up the Super Chexx machine. For all the time I’ve spent playing this game, this was my first time actually touching the puck (pretty cool).
Liz got some solar-powered Christmas lights over the weekend, and set up the front porch with them. It’s a pretty great approach, though we’ve had several overcast days… so I’m not sure how much light these, er, lights are actually getting.
I know this is someone looking to give away some Christmas decorations, but a part of me likes imagining someone creating a special shrine – as a way of invoking the season to remain, despite the days.
After over 10 days away (visiting three families in three different cities), we finally arrived back home. I thought it was funny that in the kitchen, we still had Christmas wrapping supplies on the table.
We were in the midst of preparing veggies and things when everyone arrived. So much of the time, we all just hung out in the kitchen – cooking, drinking wine, and visiting a bit.
Liz and I joked that this would be our fourth Christmas, since we had already celebrated in Detroit, then in Indianapolis, and then again with just the two of us.
I love the symmetry of this gift. A long while ago, the husband created this slide for his wife. And many years later, my wife created a print of that slide for me. I’d like to think that we are furthering a tradition here, and will continue to fill that little house with love.
Candle service, close to midnight. The lights go dim, and everyone sings “Silent Night.” There’s a part of me that wishes I could record this moment each year, as it’s quite lovely. The whole room darkens, and the candles flicker their light against the walls… and everyone sings softly, as we near the midnight hour.
Going out for a big meal like this is not something we normally do. But then again, an 80th birthday isn’t something that happens all that often, either.
Late in the evening, several of us took turns in the basement to wrap up Christmas gifts. With three families to celebrate with, we’re doing Christmas slightly early here tomorrow, so tonight’s the big night.
Around the tree in the sitting room, Kirt had set up an old model train track. The train cars themselves were all pretty substantive, and suggested to me this was an old set.
We rolled into Detroit a bit later than we planned, but the nice thing (and the thing I’ve een struggling to remember) is that we are officially on our holiday break. There are no strict schedules, and no timelines beyond the ones we wish to keep. If we’re running a little late, then so be it – we’ve got the time (which is still a novel concept).
Today was mostly a travel day. I helped Bob drop off a rental truck early in the AM, and we then packed up our car for a drive back to Chicago.
A pretty slow day in Valpo. A lot of putzing around, not much of anything beyond relaxing. I snapped this photo of Liz, sharing a new favorite beer with Julie.