Saturday's shindig was small and intimate, but a lot of fun: we seated nine for a festive sit-down dinner of prime rib, potatoes au gratin, cherry tomato crisp, green bean bundles, topped off by cheesecake.
Sunday was supposed to be a catch-up day, but it turned into a catch-up-on-sleep day and I took a much-needed nap.
So what remains to be done during the twelve days before Christmas? This week's list is blissfully light - the reward for cramming in so much during the last two weeks.
Monday - mail the Christmas cards. They're going out about 10 days later than I had hoped, but that's the way the Christmas cookie crumbles sometimes.
Tuesday - put the finishing touches on gift baskets for Mr. Official's staff and wrap our own gifts (despite my good intentions, gift wrapping took a backseat to the other to-do's.)
Wednesday - make up gift bags for my third grade Bible class students: Christmas mugs filled with packets of hot cocoa mix and bags of homemade marshmallows. It's also my last day to finish up some last-minute baking (one red velvet roulade coming up!)
Thursday - finish packing for a weekend getaway and set my alarm for a really early wake-up.
Friday - our plane departs extremely early and will take us as far south as you can get without a passport. We are reasonably confident the kids and pets and house will be fine while we're gone.
Once we get back, we'll be counting down the hours to Christmas Eve and the big day itself. There will undoubtedly be a few last minute trips to town for this'n that, but all in all, it's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas here. I hope it is for you, too!
Happy holidays!
