. . .

we are still  in the midst of celebration over here.  christmas day marks the first and we carry on celebrating, pondering, praying, wishing, reading, singing, and loving through all twelve! each year our evening tradition looks similar with small differences as far as conversation or  reading.  each year the family changes and grows and so must content and conversation. wonderfully so.  

all the lights are turned out and by one flickering match (or more if needed) one candle is lit for each day of christmas.  this year by, small book light, we have been reading a daily excerpt from a devotional book given to us this past summer.  we had started reading the book together most evenings at the start of advent and decided to keep it going as our twelve day celebration.  on the first night eric read the story of jesus' birth along with the nightly reading.  each day since, ocean and i both read aloud, me first from the adult version then she from the teen edition.  i thought it might be a bit redundant  when she proposed the idea but have found it to be so sweet and such a nice solidifying addition of encouraging words.

i so love and value bringing in the new year connected each night as a family in this way, not just a single night but several nights book ending this page turn of the calendar slash new chapter in our lives.  

i wish all the best for you as you enter 2013. 

abundant peace, hope and love.