Chocolate, Carols, Lessons, and Tape Ball

We always have a lot going in the lead up to Christmas but there are three staples that always make the season special for us.

We're not sure how many years this has been going on, but Sarah and Kelly did their chocolate dipping day after last year's cookie baking interlude. We've had a couple of guest stars over the years but the grueling process has limited any return appearances until this year. Brian Begley was there for the second time and he brought magical back patches that made the hours of standing much more tolerable. With all of our kids getting older we are no longer producing batches for teacher gifts, but that doesn't mean we hold back on overall volume. It was a great day that produced a lot of good sweets for the season.

 

Over the years John and the girls have been asked to read at church for various occasions and they are always up for the task. This time John and Callie agreed to what they thought was a reading at the Sunday service. Instead, their reading turned out to be every passage connecting all the carols in the traditional Carols and Lessons service. It meant that the two of them were at the pulpit no fewer than seven times, a bit more of a commitment than they had anticipated. But we are happy to report that John was the only one who made a slight mistake and Callie was quick to cover for him. 

 

Obviously, church services highlight the reason for the season, but we also have grown to believe that Christmas is not the same without tape ball. This has become a special tradition with the Abrahams and it doesn't matter what travel plans people have or anything else, we find a way to make it happen. This year's ball resembled more of a cube, but it didn't stop anyone from ripping it apart when the time came. We had another tear-free experience and it is safe to say that everyone is now old enough where those days are behind us although there is still some irritation from some parties when it comes to gift stealing. It's all part of the Christmas spirit!