Photo Finish, 2022

Actually, photo unfinished. We have a dozen of these in an envelope wedged between the junk bowl and the electric pencil sharpener. But, we are in Spain, and there is something of a mañana spirit here…

December was absolutely magical. The girls BELIEVE, most days. Their friends are patient and generous about it. Nobody wants the first domino to fall… otherwise innocent Cate will cross over prematurely(if she hasn’t already)! Mañana.

So on the Christmas Eve table Jane placed a letter to Santa asking for proof, because she didn’t want to stop believing… and Rose left her tooth because the tooth fairy failed to show up the 23rd and she was sure Santa could help straighten the situation out.

The night before the mischief making elves arrived, Ken snuck over to the local grocery store to pick up some treats. What he thought were tidy, pre-bagged candy variety packs were actually chunks of edible coal.

Parents: “Oh my gosh they are going to be so freaked out!!! What do we do?!”

Kids: Completely unfazed. Blood pressure unchanged. Zero introspection. I don’t think they even took it as a warning.

Then again, as soon as the elves joined us… Ken and I decided it probably was time to break the news. Eliminating the, “What are you talking about ‘Did I set up the elves?’ It wasn’t my elf night!” accusations and panic for a few years would make our lives much easier.

Speaking of elves, this one initially wanted nothing to do with the uniform,

but she warmed up to it.

Maybe we didn’t mail anything this year… (it’s not “maybe”… we totally dropped the bulb) but we baked cookies, decorated, and had our fill of Christmas pageants, music and movies.

And our fill of Kisses.

Lucy: “I love this job.”

Girls: “Ohhhhh look at us!”

Lucy: “I’ve been at them for ten minutes already! Where do you think I got these drool stains?”

They definitely caught up during after-Lucy’s-hours decorating.

In years to come, should the butterfly/Harry Potter cutter tradition not continue… let us memorialize it here.

Some murmured rather loudly when we realized just three Christmas cookie cutters could be located… but a little good humor from Ken’s polar butterfly improv made me think we have a new holiday tradition.

Goes well with our empty tree tradition…

Lucy: “I’m going to find you later.”

Us: “If that softie was the only one Buddy the Elf found…”

Yep, move all the decorations just below the bald spot towards the top of the tree. We have a vacuum bag full of glass.

Parents: “Cate? Cate! Hurry, get in the picture!!!”

For the record, the re-takes are not always Lucy’s fault.

Christmas morning filled our hearts with joy as the girls seemed to appreciate their gifts and each other, for the moment.

And with a temporary peace settling over the house, I think everyone got what they wanted.

Mostly.

Lucy: “Hola. Santa. Gog. Gog. NO GOG!!!!”

How could Santa forget her dog? Infuriating. I’m blaming Santa too, Lucy. (At least he’s good for that!)

Lucy: “I’ll be using this to get at the ornaments you moved up top, sir.”

On Ken’s birthday, nearing the end of 2022, we did the unthinkable and climbed from sea level to the top of the rock of Gibraltar.

Yes, to the top.

Wish they never cut you down before winter break?

Not in a million and forty-eight years! Cheers, love!