• My December Daily journal entry will be about Ellie.  It was her 7th birthday today.  I can’t believe how fast the time has gone.
• This picture is my entry for the iHeartFaces Photo Challenge.  Today’s topic was “bokeh”. Not being a photographer, I had to seek out help with today’s challenge. My source: Jon Edwards, my photographer extraordinaire brother-in-law. Now Jon is an excellent teacher, however I am a less than novice photographer.  (It’s still one of my favorite ornaments).
• For “Journal Your Christmas”, today’s journal prompt is all about Christmas stockings.  I was first introduced to Christmas stockings when I started dating Mike.  We didn’t have them growing up (wasn’t really a tradition in our family), but as soon as I became part of their family, I got a stocking with my name on it.  One of the things that has really impressed me about Mike’s mom and dad all these years is how much joy they get from filling the stockings and how they make sure that every person who is there on Christmas eve has a stocking with their name on it.  Even if they find out the day before that someone will be coming to Christmas eve celebrations, they will have a stocking all ready to go.  It is an incredible display of inclusion and ultimately love through such a simple gesture.
• 25 Christmas movies.  I’m disappointed to report that there wasn’t a movie watched today.  We just simply ran out of time.  We’ll try and double up tomorrow, but most of our family celebrating is done on Christmas eve, so we might be looking at a three-pete on Christmas day.  Stay tuned….

Until tomorrow, 

“Even though I was not happy about Ellie coming to stay with us, she’s sort of grown on me.  Took a while, but she can stay.”