Christmas Has Been Cancelled

Today was supposed to be our family Christmas celebration together here at our home. Our son and his family, our daughter and her family, my cousin and her husband and my dear little mother planned to join us for a wonderful time together as we shared fun together, a meal and gifts. That was the plan! Plans can be changed, and at times they need to be changed for the good of everyone involved. That's what happened today. Our weather is getting worse by the minute with much worse conditions expected later today. As we spoke to everyone on the phone earlier this morning it became clear that safe travel, especially their travel home this evening, was a major concern to everyone. So - Christmas has been cancelled at my home today! The gifts by the tree will have to wait a bit longer. Six big gift bags wait for precious little hands to open so they can see what is inside. They will have to wait a bit longer!

Since our son and daughter and their families will not be here on Christmas Day, and since the weather doesn't promise to improve over the weekend, 'Plan B' has been devised to the delight of little hearts - and big ones, too. On Christmas Eve, early in the afternoon, my sweetheart and I will pick up my dear little mother who lives just a few blocks away from our home. The three of us will travel north a ways to the new home of my cousin and her husband. They will join us as we do a 'Santa Run' to deliver gifts to our grandchildren. Together we will circle around a bit, stopping at the home of our sweet daughter where we will leave these three big bags to delight the hearts of her three children.

After we give them Christmas hugs and bid them farewell we will travel a ways south to the home of our son and daughter-in-law where three little boys will be eagerly awaiting our arrival. These three gifts will be among those left at their home.

After a brief visit, hugs and the promise to care for the gifts left in their care we will head north again, ending at the home of my cousin where we will spend Christmas Eve together. Now - if we could just find a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer . . .

(Knowing the temptation to sneak a peek inside of gift bags when no one is looking, I punched a hole in the center of each side of the top of the bag, wove a ribbon through the holes and tied them closed. I kept it simple and easy for little hands to untie when the time comes to open them. They won't have to deal with complicated, fancy or difficult bows, ribbons and all kinds of things this Grandma could think up! Just simple ribbons. I like the idea so much that I will embellish it a bit and may do it will all the gift bags I give. Yes, there is tissue down inside the bags - it just doesn't show.)