The Best Gift of All

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas with family and friends, I'm looking forward to reading about your celebrations and seeing lots of wonderful photos. If you live in one of those areas hit by the blizzard, I hope you're safe and warm. I talked with family in Atlanta and they had their first White Christmas since 1882 and even the little town of Saint Marys, Georgia where I moved from had a bit of the white stuff floating around. Brrr…but I'm happy to report that our weather here in Tampa Bay was gorgeous on Christmas Day!

My granddaughter went to Orlando with her father, so that left myself, my daughter and my sister to decide what we would do together. This was the perfect year to make it simple and easy and we did just that. I didn't decorate, I didn't bake for days on end, I didn't have to prepare the "feast" and we cut gift-giving to the bare minimum. This was just fine with all of us. Since my sister had decorated her little apartment that is where we planned to spend the day.

Sis put a 13-pound turkey in the oven (so cute, I didn't even know they came that small) and we arrived a couple of hours before it was ready. I brought mac & cheese and since we weren't having cornbread dressing, I baked a cornbread in its place. Sis added mashed potatoes, veggies and a pumpkin pie. Yes, we were in carb heaven and I'll be paying for that over the next few weeks.

Oh, did I mention I came down with a nasty cold? Yep, just before Christmas I caught the cold that is going around. I had been in bed for a few days and with the help of Nyquil, I made it through the day just fine. We talked, watched the Disney Parade and went down to the lake to watch the birds before supper.

Yes, it was a lazy, simple holiday. Then the best gift arrived! For those who don't know, my sister's son has been serving our country in Iraq. He left just before Christmas last year, just a few weeks after his son was born. David came home just before Thanksgiving, but he's stationed in Georgia and I hadn't seen him yet. My sis had spent Christmas Eve with them and I didn't know they would be stopping by on Christmas Day. The best gift this year for me was having my nephew home safe and sound. What else matters? No amount of money could have bought something I enjoyed more than seeing my nephew with his wife, his son and his mother. Our Christmas may have been very simple compared to past years, but it will be remembered as being so special in our hearts.

Yesterday I was at my computer playing around with some of the pictures I took. I thought I would share the results with you today…

My favorite moment — The Hug

My nephew and great-nephew

My sis, so happy watching her family

That's me on the left and my beloved daughter on the right

We each posed by the little ceramic tree that belonged to my mother. Mom loved that tree so much, she bought it in the 70s and we put it out every year in her honor.

I missed having my son present, it breaks my heart that he lives so far away in California. We talked on the phone of Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day. It seems the older I get, the miles that separate us seem longer and I miss him so much.

Our Christmas was simple, but the love of family filled the air and isn't that the best gift of all?