Happy Holiday had by all

 We decided to celebrate this year with family and feasting. Feast we did. I pulled out all my goodies to set the table pretty and cooked it up BIG. Turkey, and dressing, gravy, green bean casserole from scratch with portabella mushrooms and white sauce, sweet potato casserole and a gelatin salad mold that I totally forgot to serve. I made fresh cranberry salsa, fresh cranberry relish, and clam dip. We had about 6 dozen cookies and a pumkin pie that nobody wanted. We were too FULL.

 The Midge in blissed out anticipation of holiday fun, it did not dampen her spirits that we didn't put gifts under the tree. We placed all the childhood Christmas books under the tree for reading and walking down memory lane.

 The cookies were endless. These are snowballs. I made Danish butter cookies, thumbprints with raspberry jam, bourbon balls, and snowballs. I used up 4 pounds of butter.

This is sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top and the huge white bowl behind me was full of clam dip. I quadrupled it.

I told everyone we were not buying gifts.

some girlfriends couldn't do it and they gave me presents.

 

 

 This is a little painting from my good friend who went to Pennsylvania and visited in Amish country. I teared up because I just love it.

 Gorgeous measuring spoons from another girlfriend. At the top of each spoon there is a little bird each spoon has a different bird.

 AND YET ANOTHER girlfriend sent these "cray cray adorbs," Franciscan Tiempo Lime Green dinner ware that goes so perfectly with the Franciscan apple dishes from my grandmother. She started something. I have always wanted to have solid color dinner ware and get my OWN dishes. Guess what I'm going to be looking for deals on?

 Do we look like brother and sister? Ya think? Christmas morning horsing around.

 Come here FATBOY ya wanta wrestle? Somethings never change, at least not me :) Actually I am showing him that his salami is authentic.

 

 I gave him food. What do you give somebody that doesn't need anything? Delicious food.

 My hunny and he just gets sweeter and sweeter.

 This is Bob my little neighbor that I adopted. I love grandpas. He is 89 and deaf. We get along great. All his family lives out of state so he ate with us.

 Feelin the love.

 and more love

 and they are so full of love they are getting silly and ridiculous.

 But not Bob he will take all you will give him.

 just beautiful.

 

 

 an awesome picture of Kayla she came for 2 weeks of break from college.

 We had play days with the puppy! THIS is Mercy's baby boy who is the same size as her at 6 months and he is a mess. What a boy super sweet happy pup. I love it that two of my neighbors adopted pups and we can see them. Mercy loves to play with her babies and they love her.

 

 She is such a different dog now so beautiful, he is sayin, "hey wait up ma!!"

 Hound dawg nose!

 

 After feasting we had to make some veggie soup because how much rich food can people eat?

 I had two piles of bananas to make banana pudding with and they over ripened because with all those cookies the pudding got axed. I couldn't even look at more sweets. But Kayla had neighborhood kids over to make gourd art. I gave each of them a loaf of hot banana bread and they sat down and copied the recipe. Homeschooling at it's finest. I was so happy with my home full of people.

 Learning what "cream," means and asking questions about the recipe. Told them to save some black bananas and we will make it together.  Sweet kids in our neighborhood.

 And the craft/laundry room is in full swing with dogs, and kids and painting!!!

My husband and I kept marveling at how happy we were over this Christmas. I can't say it was for sure avoiding the consumerism, but I think that was a big part of it. We did give our grandkids a few things they need like coffee, deodorant, toothbrushes; things college kids would like to save money on. We really celebrated life, people, and the birth of our Savior. it was a beautiful time. I was so relaxed. I just watched the shopping frenzy from a mental distance and told myself how many days until it would be over. The result of that decision was so peaceful. Our family was relieved not to have to buy us gifts. We were relieved not to have to buy a really LARGE amount of people even a small gift. It was great. Next year I am going to plan a more reasonable feast. Four pounds of butter is excessive even for the Danish. I am looking forward to the future holidays and how I can find even more ways to take the consumerism out, and put the joy back in. It was so worth it. Jesus is worth it all.