It's Almost Christmas Eve!

In about an hour, Christmas Eve will begin. It is truly my favorite day of the year! As a December 30th baby, I feel right at home in the short, dark days. Christmas Eve is the time when all the frenzy should be gone. Quiet has always been a hallmark of at least the evening in our home. Traditionally, it was a time to read Christmas stories to the children when they were small and to wear the new nightgowns (Lanz of Salzburg flannel for me and the girls!) and slippers and to nibble on something delicious and cozy. Candles burned in abundance, the woodstove crackled with locust and oak logs warming our night. Of course Christmas Ev's serenity turned into the 3 ring circus of Christmas morning, but, it still stays with me as about as still as the world (my world) gets, and I cherish each and every one.

This deer light sculpture has been around for a decade or so and each season we say, "Time to replace the deer." Not this year. altho Ella, the year old Newfoundland thinks she's in love with the handsome stranger, so we think that will shorten its' life somewhat! She brings stuffed animals in her mouth to the deer to try to get it to play, to no avail...then gives it a little shove (Ella weighs about 125 lbs!) but gets very little response. We've screwed the deer's feet down to the deck to keep these love taps from sending the deer down the mountain...