It Is A Wonderful Life

Merry Christmas to all of you. And I must say that this was an enjoyable day indeed. As usual I didn't ask much for Christmas - I just distributed a wish list to various family members and I got several things off of that list plus a few well-appreciated surprises.

This morning as I was getting ready to head out to our girls' apartment I got a phone call from my four-year old grandson proclaiming that Santa had visited there. Cute.

I arrived with more presents, and after breakfast, the air was filled with the sound of ripping paper and sounds of gratitude. Little J even stopped to look at the new clothes he got. Toys were assembled, and there was much rejoicing. Then J's dad came by to pick him up and it got noticeably quieter. Ah, kids.

Late this afternoon we had my folks and my brother over for dinner and more gift exchanges. It was a pretty simple but well-put-together dinner. My dad brought over a honey-baked ham and we made the fixings (including green bean casserole cooked in S's brand-new Campbell's Soup Green Bean Casserole Dish!) Meanwhile the dog kept us entertained by looking pretty and circling several times before plopping down into her doggie bed.

Perhaps the most poignant moment came after we left the girls' apartment and dropped in on S's brother and his family. There was a bit of a falling out with S's brother this past year because of some issues he was having (which really weren't his fault). Nonetheless, some feelings had been hurt and damage done. But S decided to make a bold move toward reconciliation. Earlier in the fall, she had been making scrapbooks (with family photos and stories) for the girls. S took it further and made one for her brother J (which he picked up on his last visit from California). By then she was inspired to make one for her other brother J (who lives just over a mile from us).

Dropping by J's house with this gift was the awesome experience I hoped it would be. Whatever walls had been built between S and J came tumbling down in an instant. Of course there were hugs all around. It was good to see J and his wife again. It was also good to see my nephew, two nieces, and my grand-niece again. We had gotten there as they were in the middle of opening presents; it was a lot of fun to watch that going on. But it was especially touching to see S and J sitting together as J looked at each page and told S all the family stories he remember from the photos. That's what Christmas is about, isn't it?

It really is a wonderful life!