Home for the Holidays

"For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this."

Isaiah 9:6-7

Does anyone else read these verses as they are recorded in Handel's Messiah?  I can't just read them - I always sing them in my head.  Maybe that's just me.

Merry Christmas, everyone!  It is so wonderful to be home for the holidays!  After such a busy semester, it has been so great to relax at home with the family.  Despite minor setbacks like fighting some form of a cold/laryngitis for over a week and having to work an obscene number of hours (I actually pulled an all-nighter one night.  14.5 hours in the store.  6pm - 8:30am.  that's a soapbox for another day.), it has been such a joy to participate in our family Christmas traditions.  Jessica & I (actually, mostly Jessica - I was mostly moral support) even made crepes this morning, just like my Nana usually does.  This is the first year that my family has had Christmas entirely on our own, which is definitely a little weird.  I miss seeing my extended family:  catching up, playing endless hours of card games, reading at least one good book, etc.  But it is also nice to create our own family traditions - experimenting with new recipes (we're currently making Chocolate Espresso Fudge Cake from the Trellis cookbook - yummmm!), and focusing more on our time together as a family than on gifts and the extravagance that the Christmas season can bring.  We've gone through so much as a family over the past 6 months - life transitions and seasons of grieving - it is just nice to have the four of us together again.  I have especially loved being able to hang out with Jessica over the past week or so.  As much as I think it's good for us to be apart for this stage of our lives (it gives us an opportunity to grow as individuals), I do really miss her, and it feels so good to have my best friend around all the time again. :)

So it is with a content and happy heart that I leave you with the ending lines from my favorite Christmas movie.  From this little Sarah Lou Who to you:

Welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer. Cheer to all Whos far and near. Christmas Day is in our grasp, so long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart, and hand in hand. 

- How the Grinch Stole Christmas