monday's mulling: joyous noise and boom: loud silence

One week ago today, the first of my Gang of Four arrived from Chicago. Earlier she and I planned menus for the holiday week, made extensive lists so we would do a  one time big shop, and then hit the stores before the big Christmas blitz began. Oh my...the counter-depth refrigerator was packed with food. Thank heavens for the fridge in the garage.

Christmas Eve afternoon, the second Chicago family arrived. Shortly after that my two brothers and their families came to celebrate the holiday. My nephew is quite the grill master and he grilled steaks, and his homemade cheese and jalapeno sausage. Let the Christmas feasting begin. Our families haven't been all together like this for a long time and it was so much fun to see all the kids have such a good time together. Adults did, too. We celebrated a recent engagement, the last of my nieces and nephews to get married.

Christmas morning was quiet but busy. My son, daughter-in-law, and two little grandchildren opened their Christmas presents in their Cleveland home and then made the trek to Dayton. While waiting for them, my girls prepared our Christmas meal and it was glorious to put two leaves in the table to seat our party of 10 adults. The little people had already been fed and their parents were up and down from the table checking on them. Life with little ones keeps everyone on their toes. 

December 26 was our opening Christmas presents day. Such excitement from the 3 1/2 year old and almost 2-year old grandsons! "Look what I got!" "Wow!" "Wow!" "Wow!" So much energy, so much joy. In the eyes of children we find the joy of Christmas. Just three days earlier, I completed my granddaughter's Christmas stocking. Nothing like cutting things close! (I had so much fun making it.)

Then as quickly as they arrived, my Cleveland family left at noon on the 27th to go to my daughter-in-law's family's Christmas. The house got a little quieter with four people gone. And then yesterday, the Chicago clan headed back to the Windy City, but not before my 2-year old grandson found a couple of old pan lids and discovered the joy of clanging them together. Who needs fancy toys? I told my daughter that she could take those home and she quickly responded, "They can stay at Didi's house." 

After waving good-bye, Todd and I went back in the house, and I got a big lump in my throat. "It's so quiet, too quiet." But soon, the TV was on, Todd was watching the Browns v. Steelers football game and this time cheering instead of yelling at the TV. The Browns won and once again there was joyous noise.