The Merry Month

The Barabasz/Francis/Blokzyl families packed in as many activities as possible during the month of December. 

• A cookie-decorating extravaganza at my house had four kids frosting sugar and gingerbread cookies in various colors, topping them with colored sugars and other decorations.
• At Booker's request, I took him and Lena to a performance of The Nutcracker, the second time we've seen it. Lena's favorite part? When they dispatch the evil mouse king and drag him off the stage by his feet. So much for the Sugar Plum Fairy.
• Hannah and I took our grandchildren plus two friends to the Dallas Arboretum, where we walked through the Twelve Days of  Christmas displays, a beautiful gazebo for each day, and toured the Christmas Village where they could see Santa and get a free cookie. I was thrilled to walk the Arboretum two years after my spine surgery.
• We took the kids to a rather rollicking children's Christmas Eve service at Crossroads Church
• Hannah and Reagan treated us to a lovely Christmas Eve dinner at a new restaurant, after which we returned to our house for the kids to open their gifts from us.
• Christmas morning was a flurry of present-opening followed by a delicious breakfast with spinach strata, bacon, sausage, fruit and tamales (I didn't know this was a holiday thing in Texas until recently.)
• To celebrate our 50th anniversary, Hannah generously flew us to Nashville, where she had rented a big house in Franklin, TN. Alison and Matt came by car and Pete flew in the next day. We were joined by my sister Connie and her husband, as well as my nephew Doug and his family. We all hung out together, watching football and eating. The kids had a great time and we all got to explore Franklin and Nashville, one of my favorite places.

Now the Christmas decorations and the tree have been put away and it's back to reality. The kids return to school day after tomorrow and I begin a new freelance writing project. Happy New Year!

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