Christmas Eve

Five and a half hours’ sleep after Patience decides I need a six-thirty wake-up call… on Christmas Eve

Christmas playlists, crackling birchwood fire on Netflix (still somehow requires three security passwords)…

register Patience for February feises…

Puck’s new cargo pants arrive in the mail and he vows to destroy all of his old shorts except for one pair to work out in… “That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen…” “What?” “Someone is burning a pile of clothes out there.” “Puck, are you burning all your shorts?”…

Oxbear prepares a pot of homemade mac ‘n cheese to share for the party…

finish wrapping all the gifts for Christmas morning…

The ENTIRE B&B family gathers at the Big House, which probably hasn’t happened since… years and years…

Puck, after making some of the babies laugh, uses Francis’ log splitter in the backyard to bank the bonfire in a light rain

Yali and his cousin “J“ tinker on Yali’s newly gifted Nerf-style “mini gun”

Ham sandwiches for the masses… Patience samples the non-alcoholic wassail

And a second round of gifts before dessert… including S’s amazing homemade gingersnap sandwich cookies

Home and sleep for young children…

Puck sitting at the card table piecing together his “book nook” with X-Acto knife and Mod Podge…

The three of us watching Nate Bargatze’s newly released special