When a change is as good as a rest, for the most part.

Many thanks to all and sundry for their kind and enthusiastic welcome of baby number 7. It's encouraging to know that even if our friends and family think we're nuts, they're kind enough to keep it to themselves. :)
As for our Christmas vacation, it was heavy on the "social" and light on the "rest". Driving through the night from KY to NJ was long - 15 hours with constant rain - but the kids were so good through the whole thing. They didn't sleep as much as we thought they would, but there was very little complaining, and the dreaded question "How many minutes until we're there?" didn't come up very much. It was great seeing family, being cooked for, and generally being spoiled for Christmas. Our trip down to MD for a weekend was a special joy, complete with more spoiling, visiting with excellent people and visiting our church family. Being in church was such a bittersweet time, as for the first time I realized just how much I miss "my people".
We headed back to NJ for a few more days and spent some time with my brother, sister, and assorted families. So much fun - I've got some great family. :) I'm not sure if the highlight was winning the soup cook-off with my corn chowder (redeeming myself from last year with a dismal loss in the chili cook-off), or playing trivia games while my brother does a frighteningly good job reading the questions in an effeminate voice - both were good moments!
We were supposed to head up to Boston to visit a church there, see some friends, and give Toby an opportunity to preach before we headed back to KY, but alas, it was not to be. There were some concerns about a winter storm getting in the way, and the airline called to cancel our first flight. We were able to reschedule for the next flight, but that was cancelled, too, with the added problem of all flights into Boston were being cancelled until Saturday night. That was going to be a little too tight and a little too difficult, so we decided to drive back a day early and travel during daylight hours - so much better! We are looking forward to scheduling another visit up/over to Boston another time, though - I've got some sightseeing to do!
We're now back into the thick of things - Toby's back to class, kids back to schoolwork, I'm back to...everything I do. I'm feeling fairly good, overall - not 100%, but almost woken up, so to speak. I'm looking forward to getting my brain and energy back - I've got stuff to do!

Merry Christmas to all!

Well, goodness, I kind of dropped off the face of the earth, now haven't I?
I can say we've been busy, but that's not really a (good) reason. Frankly, I've been exhausted! I'm sleeping late in the morning, with a nap most days, and a general mind fog most of the rest of the time. Sometimes, your body (my body) just needs a break from the normal operating procedures, and my body has decided to do that this month. Kind of a bummer, but there we are.
We've all been looking forward to Christmas, though - I don't think anything would stop that. Our gifts are bought and wrapped, house decorated, and Christmas plans ready to be enacted. We are going to be travelling to NJ tomorrow night to spend some time with my family, visit friends in MD and enjoy a break. I get to eat a Christmas dinner that I don't have to cook, hang out with my family and watch them spoil my kids. And when it all gets a little nutso, Toby and I will visit MA for a couple of nights, staying with more folks who will probably spoil us and let Toby preach at their church.
I'll be honest, I'm not looking forward to all the driving. We're looking at a 12-hour trip - blech. We'll be doing the driving at night, which should minimize the need for stops, as well as miss a lot of traffic and cranky kids. But still...I'm in faith that it'll be worth it in the end, and in hope that God will allow us a safe and uneventful trip.
We'll be heading back to KY and college early in the New Year, so until then...
Have a very Merry Christmas and a most Happy New Year from the Gayners!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The day after Thanksgiving...For most it probably means shopping, and maybe some extended rest time, especially if you joined the madness at 2am. For us, it's been a time for tidying up a messy kitchen, catching up on some neglected chores (laundry, ahem) and chilling. And studying, for Toby.

 

We had a great time yesterday. We watched some of the parade in the morning, though it was the Philly parade, since they're the only ones who will stream things online. The kids were baffled at why they kept singing Christmas songs and "doing Christmas-y things" when it's only Thanksgiving. Good question, really.

 

I pottered around in the kitchen with some ham and parsnips to keep me company. Since about 5 for so families had planned to meet up for Thanksgiving dinner, we all took responsibility for different parts - I made honey mustard parsnips and ham to share. Interestingly, most folks had never had a parsnip before and weren't really sure what it was. Granted, I didn't exactly grow up eating them either. I'm not sure how everyone felt about them - I know people ate them, and I didn't see anyone gagging on them, so I'll take that to be a good sign. The ham was okay, but not great. The funny thing about the ham is that Toby bought a 7lb piece of meat, which we decided probably wouldn't be enough, so he bought a second, equally-sized joint. Out of the 14lbs of meat we brought, I figure we all ate about 5lbs of it - needless to say, we'll be eating ham-based leftovers for a little while.

 

When we all got home, we were so very tired! I'm not really sure what was so taxing, but the little kids were in bed by 7pm, and the big ones followed a half hour later. The girls took books to bed, but no one really complained about an early night. Poor Toby - as soon as we walked in the door, he crashed. He'd been fighting a runny nose and some congestion all day, so by the evening, he was done. It was good, however, to get a very good night's sleep.

 

Here's to a restful and enjoyable holiday weekend, for one and all!

Tradtions

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. (Newsflash, right?)

I figure most families have their own traditions they observe around Thanksgiving.  I suspect most families feature food, football, and the Macys Parade in there somewhere. Because we spent our first 9 Thanksgivings in a country that doesn't observe this particular holiday, our traditions were basically limited to a turkey dinner when Toby got home from work. When we moved to the US, we had some more options regarding how we'd like to celebrate this particular holiday, but not a whole lot of ingenuity. Over the past few years, we've started including a few things that would help us find some middle ground between crazed crafting excess and total inertia. Things like:

• Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember by Barbara Rainey. I don't remember where we got this book and CD from, but it's been such a blessing. The artwork in the book is lovely, and the narrator on the CD is excellent. I don't know about you but the reader can really make or break a story. Going over the history of the Thanksgiving story, it's an excellent reminder of what this holiday is about, and inspires more things to give thanks for (like not having to endure a 6 month ocean crossing when I moved!).
• Not shopping.
  

I know that this is a big thing this year, but this is something that our family has observed for years. For holidays of any kind, if you're shopping, someone else has to be manning the store so that you can do so. How about we all stay home with our families, as far as is possible?

• Simple crafts. By simple, I don't mean needing a dozen Martha Stewart supplies and several hours-worth of drying time. I mean things like everyone writing down 3 things they're thankful for on some leaves or something. Color in a hand-shaped turkey. Make a construction-paper pilgrim hat. Pin the feather on the turkey. Pinterest has loads of ideas, of course, but remember - if it's likely to take longer than half an hour or increase the stress level exponentially, skip it.
• Play some games. Holidays are the perfect time to unearth those underplayed games. Except Monopoly. Never play Monopoly if you want to encourage familial peace and harmony. Play word games, charades, games that just make you laugh. Then be thankful for the ability and opportunity to laugh.

Tomorrow, we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with some of the other Pastor's College families, and it's going to be a blast. We won't be shopping, we'll do some simple crafts and play some games, and we'll definitely be watching some football. We're really looking forward to it. What will your family be doing?

This week, I'm...

...reading a few books, including Grace for the Good Girl, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, and some library books on my Kindle. I'm loving that little machine! I use it on the exercise bike, in bed (where I can see the screen with the lights off), and I've downloaded some school pdfs to assist in our schoolwork. Excellent.

...listening to Pandora a lot. Sometimes it's Adele radio, sometimes 80s cardio mix (Vanilla Ice, anyone?), sometimes PG Comedy. I like the comedy if I'm cooking at night. It makes the work seem less like work. Our old CD player broke shortly before our move and we never got around to replacing it, so Pandora is where it's at.

...knitting this little something for Dan. It's been good to use up some yarn I've had hanging around for ages, and this boy needs some extra warm stuff, but the pattern isn't grabbing me. I don't know why, I think perhaps I'm not paying as close attention as I ought. I  think it'll pick up when the neck decreases finish and I start doing the body.

...playing games with my kids. I know that for a lot of superstar parents out there, this is a daily event, but that's not really how I roll. Usually by the end of the day, I've had enough interaction that a groupon to a sensory deprivation tank sounds like a real treat, but I've been trying to push the limits of my comfort zone in an attempt to bless my children. A couple of times it kind of back fired (more like a conflagration), but mostly, it's been kind of cool.

...getting excited about the holidays - isn't most everyone? We're staying local and having Thanksgiving with about half of the PC families this year, which will be mega fun, I'm sure. Christmas will have us heading back east to do some visiting. I'm a little daunted by the travelling, but I'm choosing not to think too much about that yet...

...being thankful for a healthy family. So many are coming down with the dreaded lurgy, but so far, we are unaffected. Watch this space...

...proud of my kiddos. Sure, there are times when I can totally understand why some animals eat their young, but I've been seeing lots of grace in my kids. Ellie is just beginning to sound out small words, I regularly get offers of help in the kitchen, Abi and Anna really seem to enjoy helping Ellie and Dan with their workbooks on occasion, and it's so sweet when an older kid sits down to read a story to littler one.

...proud of my husband, too. The man works so hard, loves what he's doing, and doesn't mind being ragged on for being the "old man" in the class (on his Greek quiz this week, he had to translate "Toby is old but cool" from Greek to English. No joke.). He spends time with all these crazy children every day, changes diapers, takes me on dates and lets me beat him at bowling (but just the one time). And I don't think I know anyone who loves to serve as much as him. And he's mine, so back off. :)

Right Now

• I'm starting the day with the near-giddy feeling of having had a full night's sleep! Caleb has been waking several times a night recently (teething and rolling over and waking himself up), and the bags under my eyes were enough to carry my keys in. But last night, he slept. All. Night.  I wouldn't want to presume on God's kindness to suggest that this is the new normal, but it's a merciful gift, and I'm taking it!
• Even as certain facets of homeschooling draw to a close for the year (co-op's finished, one more week of Bible and History), we are well on track for planning for the next school year. Most of the curriculum has been purchased, which always makes me excited; I love seeing all those new books and anticipating a new student next year - Eleanor will be a Kindergartner!
• I'm also working on the plan for the Gayner Family Summer School. Reading, projects, trips, memory work and camps should all feature in - I think the kids (and maybe even I) are gonna enjoy this...
• Last Friday was Ellie's 5th birthday. Five years old. I know I sound old, but where did that time go? It was fast! One day, she's this tiny little thing all wrapped up in her own cord and half a decade later - BAM! - she's this cute, fiery little madam with a sweet-as-honey smile and rage issues. Crazy.
• The day before her birthday, we took a little field trip to the D.C. Zoo. It was a great day - good weather, saw some fun animals, hung out with some families at co-op, and followed it all up with a nice dinner out. 

 

How much to elephants pee and poop each day?

• Saturday was our church's annual Mother-Daughter Tea, which my mom, Abi, Anna, and myself attended. It was a lovely time, hearing about God's grace in the lives of moms and their daughters and spending some fun time with my own mom and daughters.
• Mother's Day was Sunday (in this country, anyway). I'm never sure how to approach these special days - I tend to over-inflate the day with my own unrealistic expectations, then get all huffy when things don't go the way I plan. I was working hard this time, not to do that, but just relax (if possible) and enjoy my family. And I did. I was served my favorite breakfast (bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, if you want to know), had a lovely morning in church, followed by a restful afternoon knitting outside and a fun and yummy meal made by my sweet husband. I received cards and a gift from my family, but really, the family is the gift.



Right now

• Dan is doing well with potty training - yay! It's not perfect - last week he peed as soon as we set foot in the library, and yesterday he had a rather messy accident (ahem) - but he's made it through church and 3+ hour co-op, accident-free. I'm telling you, you've got a appreciate the little things.
• Caleb has now cut two teeth, and gauging by the grouch, there are more coming. In between bouts of misery, though, he really is marvelous.
• God has been showing me lately, the hard way, that I am very quick to become angry when my comfort, plan, or desire for ease is threatened. The sinful response of anger is obviously wrong, but it's an indicator of other heart issues that need addressing. One way I've been helped is by choosing to prepare myself for things not going my way ahead of time and praying for both my response to glorify God, and for Him to be at work in the issues that tend to act as a trigger (bickering or complaining, for instance). While there is still far to go, I have seen grace and growth - and that's no small thing.
• We had a lovely Easter, rejoicing over baptisms at church and enjoying wonderful food and company with friends. And for the record, I successfully completed my Pinterest fast! Taking a tech/social media break was a helpful exercise, one I am considering doing more often.
• While it's only barely spring, I'm seeing the beginning of the shift towards summer: only 4 weeks of co-op left, planning for next year's schooling has begun, Noah's baseball clinic starts this Saturday. How is it possible that I'm ready for the next season, even as we scramble to finish well where we're at?
• I'm almost finished working on this little project for a friend at co-op. I love this pattern and I love the yarn!
• Our family has done little in the way of field trips so far this year (I blame the baby). With improved weather, bigger baby, and a healthy dose of mother-guilt, I'm planning on getting my people out and about more. Any suggestions for an excellent field trip?

What are you and yours up to?

Giving up

I've decided to give up.
Pinterest.
For Lent.
This will not be easy for me. It'll mean deleting the app from my phone and establishing a few new habits - like reading a book while I feed the baby, rather than browse other people's creativity.
If you see me pinning things (I'm prone to forget, you see), call me out. Please.
I noticed that whenever someone decides to practice some kind of Lenten fast or activity, they are usually assumed to be Catholic? Why? Why have Catholics cornered the market on Lent, and why do Protestants seem to look upon the season with bemusement? Any time that's set aside for thinking about the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf and taking the opportunity to consider ways to slow down and enter into that sacrifice in some small way must be good for the soul.
If you're looking for some kind of Lenten observance for your family, here are a few ideas:
Make a tomb
Declutter
Make a calendar
Make a pattern

So, how'd it go?

Now that the holidays have been and gone, it might be a good time to look back and look ahead...

How was your Christmas break? Ours was delightful but busy. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, and I delighted to spend most of the morning in the kitchen, pottering around. It was so good (toot, tooting by own horn, here), Toby didn't even make it away from the table before dozing off! Everyone had a great time opening and using their gifts - and I was so gratified that the sweater I started knitting for Tobes more than a year ago (!) actually fit.
We had snow for Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and again over the break, which delighted the children to no end - we still have the remains of an impressive snowman in our backyard. There was dinners with family: Boxing Day dinner with my parents, followed by some shopping, and the annual sibling get together - kudos to the winner of the chili cook off!
The horseback riding session that Abi and I had booked got postponed due to weather, but Toby and I  (and Caleb) still got to see The Hobbit. Excellent movie, must see. Caleb was perfectly behaved!
New Year's Eve was the best I'd had in a long time. Toby and I are not party people, which usually means we go to bed around 10:30pm. This time, we got together for dinner with another family of non-party-ers and ate food and played games. So. Much. Fun. After they headed for home and the kids were in bed, the two of us saw the New Year in while watching The Return of the King. What a great way to finish the year.

What are some of your plans for 2013? Maybe you're a resolution maker, maybe you're not. Either way, the beginning of the new year is a good time to take stock, make a plan and get in gear. Personally, I feel a little behind on things. (I told Toby last night that I haven't even made a reading list for this year yet, and his helpful reply was a mocking gasp, "But you're already 2 days late!") I'm still kind of in the place where I'm making lists of what lists to make, you know? But it's all good. I make a list and if something is important, it'll happen. Eventually.
Aside from the reading list, another thing that I do annually is go through Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters. I've done this at least once a year, sometimes more, for the past few years, and it's always served me well. What are the priorities and how do I approach them? I always feel steady on my feet when I have a biblically-informed, God-honoring plan, and this is the tool I use to help me strategize.
Some of the other ideas we're working through together as a family is whether Abi can try violin lessons and where, signing Noah up to play baseball for the first time, when is the right time to sign up at the local YMCA, and evaluating our various commitments. All good stuff, but the need for wisdom is high when weighing the good against the best.

What are your methods for getting ready for 2013?

Merry Christmas

Well, my kitchen is a wreck, cooking prep is complete, gifts are wrapped and awaiting placement under the tree.

From the Gayners, have a very Merry Christmas!

 

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.        Luke 2:16-20 ESV

Messy

Just a few days to Christmas now. In my mind, I want our days leading up to Christmas to look something like this: 

 And this:

 And sometimes it does. But sometimes, it can also look like lots of laundry (at least it's clean)...

 ...and an unmade bed...

...because Christmas, just like any other time of year, can get messy.

Lately, I've been tempted to succumb to discouragement and weariness because Christmas isn't always peace and joy. Those things haven't been absent, but there's also been a fair amount of dashing about, frantic list-making and plan-plan-planning.

I'm realizing a little each day, though, that while things are a little crazy (and perhaps some of it is self-imposed?), it's another reminder that this is why we celebrate Christmas in the first place - that our world and our hearts are so very messy that we need Someone to come and set things right. This messiness is why Jesus endured birth in a stable (messy), life in a family (definitely messy), and death on a cross (horribly messy).

Slowly, I remember that my messes - both big and small - don't have to stay messy, but in the hands of the Redeemer, can be made beautiful.

Teacher gift idea

It's been our first year at our homeschool co-op, and I'm regularly amazed at what these amazing moms manage to accomplish for their own children and for mine, so I wanted to give them a small token of Gayner appreciation. But what can I do that is simple, inexpensive, homemade and not another baked item? Pinterest to the rescue!

I had pinned this recipe to make Crock Pot Lotion Bars ages ago, and when I saw how easy it was and how many it made, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to give it a try.

I was able to order everything I needed from Amazon, and the crock pot liners were from the supermarket. My cupcake tins are actually silicone, which means I didn't need the liners and they still popped right out!

 I went and bought some of these perfectly-sized containers from the dollar store (10 for $1)...

...wrapped them in clear cellophane wrapping paper and tied with a ribbon and a homemade label...

...and the job was done! In fact, it was even easier than that, since I had one kid wrap the containers, one kid tie the ribbon and one kid add the label. We totally rock the assembly-line production.

All the teachers loved their gifts, and I was so happy to be able to show our family's appreciation for them without killing myself with all the making. Success.

Ways with an old sweater

Since the Christmas season has officially begun, that tends to mean that there are a few people out there trying to pull together some creative gifts on not a lot of money. Can I help?
Chances are, you or someone in your home have a sweater that's no longer in circulation. Maybe it's small, been run through the dryer, has a hole, or simply doesn't speak to you anymore. Before chucking it or running it over to Goodwill, perhaps you can repurpose it? Here's a few ideas:

Way 1 - a skirt

Pretty easy, this one. Cut a sweater off under the arms, fold over the top and sew to make a casing, and insert elastic. Cute over leggings, and warm!

Way 2 - fingerless gloves

 

Again, easy. Again, a great gift. Cut off a section of sweater that's large enough to wrap around a hand and sew up the seam, leaving a small hole for the thumb. You can hem or otherwise finish the cut end if you think it might unravel.

 

Way 3 - hats

  Had some trouble getting a photo on this one, but this website has easy instructions for how to get it done. Really good for manly gifts - it's not too hard to find a nice men's sweater to cut up, and almost all men wear winter hats, right?

 

Way 4 - baby pants

Photo from makebabystuff.com

I've made a number of pants and shorts for my kids from old t-shirts, and making warm woolen leggings from a sweater is really just the same song, different verse. This website makes them from the sleeves, which is a nice touch.
 

Way 5 - sleep sack

Photo from Rhythm of the Home

Construction is the same a for a hat, basically. Great gift for a new baby.

Need some more ideas? Check out http://tipnut.com/make-sweaters/.

You're welcome.

It looks like Christmas

For the first time in a long time, Christmas has been more about the waiting, the looking, the anticipation this year. Though the to-do list remains, it doesn't weigh on my heart and mind nearly as much as the 8-pound baby boy we celebrate. He continues to clear a path to the manger...

For the kids, by the kids

We have something on a Christmas tradition around our house – one I'd like to see the end of, quite frankly. It goes like this: around December 23 or 24, Abigail decides she wants to do some Christmas shopping and buys gifts for her parents and siblings. So Toby takes her out, fighting last minute crowds, to try to find something meaningful and inexpensive. Then, the other kids realize what's going on and they want to go shopping too, but there is no way either of us is willing to head back out into the fray. Therefore, they are somewhat disgruntled.

I had a different idea this year: what if they started making gifts ahead of time? They all liked the idea, so I met with each of them individually to see what they wanted to make. Some of their ideas were pretty off the wall, but with some guidance, they've each come up with some cute gift plans for their siblings that they can do mostly by themselves.

Abigail has made Anna and Ellie each a scarf. Honestly, I don't think it gets much easier than this, folks. We measured a piece of remnant fleece from JoAnn's, cut and fringed. It took us maybe 15 minutes to do both. If you've got any really last minute gifts to give, let it be this!

 Anna's made a dolly scarf for Abi (well, for the doll, really, but you get the point) and some mittens for Ellie. The mittens were basically a matter of borrowing a pair of Ellie's gloves and tracing the pattern onto an old sweater, cutting and sewing. Because Anna's not too experienced with the sewing machine yet, I helped with the stitching. The other thing she made was this little hat for Dan. While again I did the machine work, she cut out the little star and did the hand sewing. This is what takes most of the time, anyway.

I think I'm most excited about Noah's gifts. For Abi and Anna, he's made knitting needles! So cute! Helpfully, the girls do actually knit, and I think they'll really like these. We took some wooden dowels that I had set aside in my craft closet (originally bought at JoAnn's, I believe) and gave them a gentle sanding. Then we rubbed them down with some leather wax. Once Noah chose the buttons he thought the girls would like from my button collection, I used the hot glue gun to stick them on. To be honest, I've seen this done with polymer clay, which would probably work better, but I really wanted to stick with what I had on hand for this one. I'm really happy with how it all turned out!

Clearly, we have more to do, but I'm pleased with the "jump" we got on things, relatively speaking. I'm looking forward to seeing what else their creative juices inspire.

So, how does everyone else handle joy of sibling gifting? Inquiring minds want to know!

On the tree

This Christmas has snuck up on me, though I suspect I say that every year. This year, it's really true. I haven't finished my shopping yet, even when I thought I had; even when I would normally be finished (except for the last minute "making") by now. And I definitely would have done more "projects" with the kids than I have so far.

Fortunately, some inspiration came from Sew Mama Sew blog in the form of the kids sewing some felt tree ornaments.

Ellie's creative juices are limited at the moment, but I foresee progress. First, though, she needs to not drop the sewing needle on the floor a thousand times.

I drew a tree in chalk on Noah's and had him outline it. It looks great, but it did involve sitting with him, holding the piece of felt and telling him where exactly to put the needle each time. It was totally worth it.

Anna went for a button theme. I love all the different styles she choose.

Abi wanted to do something with ribbon, so she hand-stitched the ribbons criss-crossed and the button in the center. I like the way she was so independent in her design and execution.

All that was left for me to do was stuff them and add a loop before sewing them up. I even managed to hang them on the tree the evening they were made - uncommonly quick finishing, for me - for the kids to find the next morning. And the best part was seeing how excited they were at being add a little something of their own creating to the Christmas tree. Me not feeling like a totally craft-negligent mother was (a close) second.

Costume day

We celebrate Reformation Day...by dressing up in Halloween costumes...

It's just so hard to get a good photo

of "wild animals"...

Clean much?

So the kids are doing some puzzles and have reached the end to find they're missing a piece or two. The ever-helpful Mommy says, "Try looking under the bookshelf", since things are forever rolling or being kicked/posted under. The broom comes out, makes a couple of passes, and out come a veritable treasure trove of items - long lost toys, puzzle pieces (I knew it), and all sorts. The kids all got so excited at the "new" stuff they found, they went "fishing" (as it is now called) underneath all the other bookcases. Below is a mere sampling of the stuff we unearthed - including the library book I had sworn I'd taken back ages ago!

Also, notice the "Welcome Baby" card. Folks, Ellie is 8 months old. That thing has been languishing in the bowels of our bookshelves for almost 8 months. Very grim.

Surely I am not the only one who is so lax in regards to under-furniture hygene. Has anyone else ever found something bizarre/unspeakable/very exciting under their furtniture? A little encouragement, please!

A few more Christmas-y photos...

Miss Eleanor, cute as ever

Noah, super-rocker

This guitar is too funny - my 2-year-old can now do covers of B-52s, the Police, not to mention the theme tune to Shrek. Complete with 'wang' bar, no less.

What Christmas looked like

Coffee-filter snowflakes

Christmas sugar cookies...

...complete with a arm-mangled Santa and a headless angel (because it's us)
The tree "we" cut "ourselves" (thanks Tobes, for that)

Mince pies - a necessity (because it's us)

A belated Merry Christmas, everyone.