*new Christmas dresses on a frosty Christmas morning*

Well, it’s been a bit. We survived the holiday season. I hate that it feels like just surviving. Such a busy season. I dropped everything work related and just tried to get through December and apparently most of January without getting sick or losing my sanity. So far, so good. I don’t really know what I want to document about this season, so I think I’ll just collect pictures and thoughts along the post.

*church decorations and the Nativity stable*

My parents arrived on the 13th to spend Christmas with us again in Wales. We were well into the crazy holiday concerts, events, and church activities – and they dived right in with us. Before they arrived, there was the town lighting with Father Christmas arriving on a tractor, a game day at the church, a Christmas dance show for Joanna, the church Christmas dinner, and much preparation for the youth’s Nativity play which was a delightful Nativity play gone wrong that the youth thoroughly enjoyed putting on and included a rubber chicken.

While they were here, we decorated a vast amount of Christmas cookies and surprisingly had to explain what a Christmas cookie even was when we took them to a church event. The English language still blows my mind between these two cultures sometimes.

There was a Christmas concert at the girls’ school in which they both sang in groups and Joanna played the piano in the orchestra and a small band song. And Genevieve’s singing teacher asked her to sing her fist solo delighting us all (and she was greatly relieved when she survived it.)

We also had our second film night at the church which is one of my new favorite ways to hang out with our church family. We had popcorn and watched The Night Shift musical — a super fun production by Gateway Church from a couple years ago. It’s free on YouTube and we all loved it. Such a fantastic combination of parodied Disney songs, Christmas hustle, and a story about finding truth. I highly recommend it!

We did much Christmas shopping and this was my favorite town holiday window display at Flow. Such impressive knitting!

*The Twelve Days of Christmas window display at Flow*

I also loved this little scene inside the display at Oil & Oak.

*Sweet party scene in a paper tree at Oil & Oak*

We shopped several times at The Old Railway Line, including getting our tree there, and the girls loved looking at their displays and saying hello to the special animal visitors.

*Either Holly or Molly at The Old Railway Line*

Three days before Christmas, we all participated in our church Candlelight service and brought the aforementioned Christmas cookies. I had a comical moment attempting to light the Advent candles, but otherwise the service was lovely. Especially loved singing a duet with a friend and the girls singing with three other friends in a beautiful girls’ quintet!

*It took two matches and relighting one of them with the help of another candle to get the outer candles of the wreath lit for the Candlelight service*

Two days for before Christmas, we all went to the Lessons & Carols service at Hereford Cathedral. It was a beautiful service, if not sadly performative and a few odd song choices. I always love the huge trees they have!

*Hereford Cathedral, after the service, watching some kids help put out all the candles on the giant light piece.*

Christmas Eve we went for sushi per our family tradition. And the girls opened their new pajamas and a book to read themselves to sleep.

*Father Christmas’ helpers had a late night of wrapping and caught a wink or two of sleep.*

I’m not sure we’ll ever be used to having a service on Christmas morning, rather than the Christmas Eve ones in our American churches; but we enjoyed our new Christmas dresses and a new sweater for Mark and bundled up for the short service.

*the waiting is over and all the candles are lit for Christmas day*

Boxing Day, we had a beautifully clear and crisp day, so we took a short, cozy drive up to Hay Bluff. It was very blustery and a bit icy, but a wonderful view.

*Hay Bluff view with sheep and horses wandering about*

We also made some Christmas petit fours to enjoy and give away in packages to our post and parcel deliverers. petit fours are one of my very favorite things and I make them just once a year.

*gluten free petit fours for the postmen*

Twixmas Sunday, we had our evening service at the pastor’s house with food boards. I made too many food boards over the holiday and we are all taking a break for a while, but they sure were fun!

Every year it gets harder to fit in all the beloved Christmas activities before Christmas Day; but this year, I feel we did much better at saving and spreading out a few things during the Twelve Days of Christmas. Including hanging the stars and making gingerbread houses. Always so messy and so much fun. And my favorite part is how the whole house smells of gingerbread for days while they sit on the sill.

*Mark and I collaborated on a house this year*

It was a full and cozy Christmas. I would love for it to slow down some more next year and hope to make a few notes for myself; but we made the best of the busy time.

*I loved our tree this year and the shadow of the stars in the morning light during Twixmas. It was also especially cozy for this photo as it was rearranged for a Christmas film viewing!*

I hope you all had a merry Christmas season and are entering the New Year as calmly and gently as possible.💚

a merry little Christmas catch-up

a bit of January

Christmas market #2!