Not a creature was stirring.....

We spent a quiet Christmas Eve here at home this year. My parents came for a brief visit and took us out to lunch today. Then we were back home finishing up some laundry and getting the house ready for Christmas day.

As usual, I pulled out the Candle Wreath Ceremony the kids and I have done for the past five years.

Basically, you have 5 candles placed among a centerpiece of branches (I get pine boughs and holly berry branches and lay them around our advent 'wreath'.

Each person then reads a line that talks about what the candle they are lighting represents.

Here are the words...

A wreath is a traditional part of the holidays in most homes. For this ceremony, I have placed 5 candles amongst the swag on our holiday table.

Today we light these five candles in honor and in memory of Dad. We light one for our grief, on for our courage, one for our memories, one for our love, and one for our hope.

This candle represents our grief. The pain of losing you, although softened, can sometimes still be intense. It reminds us of the depth of our love for you and how much we continue to miss you every day.

This candle represents our courage to comfort our sorrow, to comfort each other and to change our lives as we continue to move forward.

This candle is in your memory. It represents the times we laughed, the times we cried, the times we were angry with each other, the silly things you did and the caring and joy you gave us.

This candle is the light of love. As we enter this holiday season, day by day we cherish the special place in our hearts that will always be reserved for you. We thank you for the gift your living brought to each of us.

And this candle is the light of hope. It reminds us of love and memories of you that are ours forever. May the glow of the flame be our source of hopefulness now and forever.

After the ceremony we enjoyed a wonderful roast beef dinner and then after cleaning up the dishes together, the kids exchanged gifts with one another and with me (I always buy them their Christmas jammies).

One of my tutoring students stopped by with her parents to bring me and the kids a gift, which was very sweet of them. The kids opened up a Pirates of the Caribbean DVD game while I am set for a soak in the tub with a spa kit! The kids and I enjoyed playing the game together and it was a lot of fun. After some TV, baking cookies and laying the gifts out, they all headed off to bed by 10pm and now the house is still and quiet.

Tomorrow they will probably arise by 7am and then call their paternal grandparents who will come for present opening and breakfast. We'll go to mass then come home and have the day to ourselves. This will be the first year I am actually attempting this. The past years, I've felt the need to be anywhere but here with the memories and would generally head down to my sister's or to my parents. This year, it just felt okay to be here in the stillness and memories.

Happy Christmas!