When the doorbell rings, the kids run to see who is there; usually it is a friend, sometimes a package, and this time around, for 12 nights a little gift and witty phrases. It was the 12 days of Christmas. Oh Christmas joy!
We've been the givers, but never the receivers. The kids pretty much thought the receiving was great.
This year we, o.k. mostly me, decided to spend Christmas at home instead of on the road. Though we were all pretty o.k. with not spending the holiday with family this year, we must admit we had a touch of the holiday blues. Now instead of counting down the nights
O.k. so back to the mystery of who and why.
We seriously wondered who it was. The first note, let us know that they would leave the gift and run AND then call on the phone. Being the sleuths that we think we are, Randy and I wrote down the numbers. After the initial cloak of Christmas secrecy waned, we'd follow up with a call to the mystery numbers several weeks later, uncover our secret Santas and feel satisfied in knowing who had brought such holiday excitement this year.
But lucky us, we didn't have to go to all that work. On Christmas eve, we received the last of our gifts and found out our friends the Minors were behind the fun. Consequently, the day before, we took Maddy with us to see the gingerbread houses, we told her the CD we had playing, "Yule be Merry" was a gift on one of the nights. She was sooo good, not to let the secret out. We seriously had no idea it was her family!
DeeDee's mom passed away last year following a battle with cancer, days before Christmas. They were so close. It was a whirlwind. This year was the first real Christmas without her mom, without grandma. A shimmering gold ornament Christmas tree using all her mom's decorations lit up their front window. And a nightly planning and commitment to do the 12 days to us, a semi-orphan family too, kept them busy.
Sorry Rob your eyes were closed in all the pics.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Minor's we soooooo appreciated an added element of magic to our holidays.
I also loved the twist you added, including a resin character to a nativity set on various nights. By the end of the 12 days, we had a complete nativity set and manger! It will definitely be a part of our holiday decorations each year. Thank you, thank you again. Your thoughtfulness is forever a part of our Christmas memories.
