the christmas tree, christmas, and the end of the year.

Our Christmas tree this year was a fraiser fir from Home Depot. It was eight and a half feet tall and was purchased, when it was still tolerable outside, at the beginning of December. One Sunday, after church, we loaded up and headed to get the tree. We picked it out and strapped it to the top of the van, took it home, trimmed it, and set in the stand. Then we tried to get the Christmas music station on Pandora to work as we pulled out the boxes of Christmas decorations. When it was finished, decorated and sparkling, we waited in a flurry of getting things done, for Christmas day.

After going to the Christmas Eve candlelight service and having dinner with family on the 24th, Christmas day dawned. Addy and I woke up at seven o'clock am, in unbelief that we had slept in that long. We did the traditional rush downstairs, look at the glittering sight before us, and rush back upstairs to wake Mom and Dad. After opening presents and eating waffles and ham for breakfast, the rest of the morning was spent painting, reading, playing on the Wii, and watching the movie Little Women. In the afternoon, we headed to grandparents' houses to visit family and eat dinner.

That night I crawled into bed, thinking how fast Christmas day goes.

And now, here it is. December 29th. The end of the year. It's kind of a funny thing, how fast the year goes by -- yet how slow some days, weeks, and months seem to pass. Twenty twelve was full to the top. I'm looking forward to 2013.

Happy New Year!