The "children are nestled down snug in their beds" ….actually they are sleeping in the basement. Three are laying across the hide-a-bed, another on a couch and another on the floor. Sophia stayed down with them for a while but toddled up to her bedroom to fall asleep with her "flower" nightlight to keep her company.
We've had a nice evening together. Homemade pizza for dinner, dropping off surprises, visiting with neighbors, catching up with our college age son Brandon, and a rather hectic attempt at recreating the nativity "shadow play style." We hung a sheet in the basement and shone a light behind it and our actors went behind the sheet as we narrated and sang, complete with a few brief pieces of Handel's Messiah. Joseph (David - age 19 months) had just been dressed in his costume when he began signing that he wanted to nurse. Then he gave his sign for "go to sleep." Then he waved goodbye to everyone which he does every night before I take him up to bed. So we had to find another Joseph. Emily volunteered, so we changed her out of her angel costume and into a Joseph costume. Meanwhile, due to the long wait, Sophia had begun doing "tricks" on the floor and her Mary costume was all in disarray. I put her back together when she decided that she would rather be Joseph. Before I could disagree, she had her costume completely off and she and Emily started switching costumes. I thought we were never going to have our annual nativity tonight. It all finally came together and was worth the effort. 
Before bed we gathered around the Christmas tree. Each child in our family gets to open a gift on Christmas Eve. Before we begin unwrapping we talk about why we have this tradition in our family. Every year we retell the story. When my mother was only five years old, her father was killed in a small plane crash right before Christmas. My grandmother was left with five very young children, one just a tiny infant. On Christmas Eve, she let her little girls open up one gift each, to make the night seem extra special for this little family who was grieving the loss of their Daddy and husband. As I grew up my parents continued this tradition, and Jerry and I have continued this tradition in our own family. Then its off to bed…actually we let the kids watch a Christmas movie in the basement while Jerry and I cleaned up from dinner and finished up with our wrapping and other Christmas secrets. Now they are all asleep and the house is quiet…except for Jerry accidentally setting off the home security alarm when he quickly opened the sliding door to bring in the shoes on the back porch that were getting wet in the rain just beginning to come down.
I'll have to ask the kids in the morning if they heard it. If they did, I'm sure this will be remembered forever as the year that Santa set off our security alarm.
As I sit here typing I can hear what sounds like very icy rain hitting the roof. The weatherman is promising snow for Christmas and the kids are all hoping to wake to snow on the ground. I sure hope they get their wish. As it gets colder through the night, I hope this rain will turn to snow so we can have a "white" Christmas.
