The One with a Hundred Million Events between Thanksgiving and Christmas

Time:  5:22.  New Year's Eve.  I continue to document 2014 before 2014 is done.


Now.  I love the holidays.  I DO.

And every year, as I gaze at the days that come one my calendar between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I VOW that we WILL NOT fill it up.  I am always VERY intent that we will FOCUS on the IMPORTANT STUFF during the holiday season and not get CAUGHT UP in the CRAZINESS.

Well, at first, that DID NOT WORK.  As I fought against it and raised my hands in protest and fussed nonstop as our calendar filled up and our minutes disappeared, we ran around this town going to rehearsals and performances and practices and concerts and STUFF.  I mean, we had to be somewhere EVERY SINGLE NIGHT and WEEKEND and I HATED IT.  Somebody needs a Dirty Santa gift, somebody else needs donuts and scoops for a party, somebody else needs a covered dish for a thing, somebody else needs a reindeer outfit, somebody else has finals, somebody else needs to find his tux bow tie, somebody else needs a black tie, somebody else has to be three places in one night, somebody else needs to sell tickets to a strings fundraiser, somebody else has an after school rehearsal.... and on and on and on and on and on. I was grumpy and very bah humbug.

But then, as I sat in the balcony of the Moody Music Building for the THIRD NIGHT in a week, it hit me:  THIS IS THE IMPORTANT STUFF.  Christmas musicals at church = important.  Jack's violin performances for his one hundred orchestras that he's in = IMPORTANT.  Max's football banquet = IMPORTANT.  Mary's Reindeer Day at school = IMPORTANT.  Parties with coworkers and friends, shopping for that special gift for the family, planning surprises for the kids, wrapping presents, making food for the next thing = IT IS ALL IMPORTANT.

These things are all a part of the holidays.  And I can either fuss and grump and fight against them..... OR..... I can ENJOY THEM.

WHAT?  Enjoy the crazy?  Enjoy the busy?  Embrace the activity and the hustle and the bustle?

Yep.  Go with it and ENJOY THE MINUTES.

Cause I reckon Mary and Joseph could have gotten all freaked out about what was going on in their world, or they could GO WITH IT and let the Lord do His work.

So..... we went with it.

And although bronchitis (Jack), an upper respiratory infection (Mikki), and pneumonia (Mary) tried to steal our joy, we tried very hard to holiday on through it.

As I holidayed on through it, I tried very hard to get a nice picture of my people.  Here are some early tries for that magical Christmas photo:

Here's where the boys were all dressed up for one of their gabillion Christmas concerts:

Here's where Mary is ready for one of her special days at school....  REINDEER DAY!

Here is where the international flags were brought in at church to celebrate foreign missions and Lottie Moon!  Mary is saying, "CHINA!"

HERE is where we went back to our favorite picture spot and worked on getting some photos for that Christmas card that I haven't actually gotten around to making yet...... but I"M GONNA.  Who says cards are just for Christmas????

Perhaps one of THESE beauties will pop up on a Happy Chinese New Year card of something.....

She was WAY more interested in what was in the water than getting her picture made.

She's quite the acrobat, too.

Mary, run to the other side of the bridge.  Boys, you go, too.... maybe I can catch some cute pictures while y'all just walk around.

No.  Not that one.

Um.  No.

Guys, be serious.  I'm trying to take pictures.

Jack, quit looking at Max. Look at me.

Mary, GET UP.

Well, THIS ONE IS GOOD.  

Then they got nuts again.

Got about five hundred shots like this.

Sweet.  

Down again.

So, the boys joined her.

Jack's losing control.  

This one right here.

And then she's down again.

Mom:  Somebody just pick her up or something.

So they tried.

THIS ONE.  I LOVE THIS ONE.

Dad, jump in there and try to control these crazies.

Uh.  Mary....

Then, folks started to lose focus.

You think they're as interested in these pictures as I am?

Probably not.

Hey, guys..... a little help here?

Sigh......

But I do not give up that easily.

I continued to snap and snap and snap away......

CHRISTMAS CARD PHOTO SHOOT:  DONE.

 Here's Max's football banquet lineup.  He looks angry.  He isn't.  He just looks that way all the time.

Here's where the boys were in a live Nativity at church for Dickens Downtown.  Jack narrated a bit.  Max was a shepherd.

 Here's where Jack test-drove a Toyota Tacoma.  Here's where his mother CANNOT BELIEVE that he's even old enough to SAY Toyota Tacoma.

 Here's where Mary models some of her winter garb.

Here's some snippets from the Moody Music Building and some of the Christmas concerts:

 Here's Max standing to be recognized for his ASTA involvement:

Here's Jack rocking the first chair position.  And as concertmaster, he also had to tune the orchestra!

No pictures from the big church Christmas production (since most of us were in it), but here's a video of the Jack playing with the church hand bells..... 

(hope the video works.... I tried something new....)

Also no pictures of the Duren Family Christmas (again:  Mikki, the picture taker, SICK)..... so just imagine Nana and Papa Chuck with our family smiling and laughing and eating!

We love you, Nana and Papa Chuck.... Merry Christmas to ya!

(And Mary keeps getting compliments on her outfit, Papa Chuck..... you did good!)

(And Jack got SUNGLASSES with his gift from y'all!)

(And Max got a new case for his phone!)

Well.  All of that, along with a whole bunch of other stuff, rounded out the three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

HO!  HO!  HO!

and 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!