A Beautiful Merry Christmas to You!

Merry Christmas! Here's a photo of a manger scene we saw on our recent trip. Usually, European Christmas Markets are located right outside the main town church or cathedral. They also usually feature a nativity scene, often lifesize. This one is outside the great and ancient cathedral in Mainz, Germany.

I hope you didn't get stuck in the snow like I did last might when you went to church. Luckily, we had a volunteer help us, so it all ended quite well, although most of the rest of the family had already driven off in another car! .

Merry Christmas Eve!

Today we will be wrapping Christmas presents and rushing to get ready for Christmas! Luckily we have all day because we will go to church later on tonight. We have so many preparations to finish I am afraid we won't get everything done that we need to! We still have to find the stockings and the tree skirt.

Do you like the picture above? We went to Christmas Markets again this year and the picture is the charming market of Saalfield in Thuringia. Saalfeld is a beautiful town, but it was snowing so hard we could barely see it.  We will have to return sometime when the weather is better. Luckily we didn't get stuck in Europe! This was not the best year to be in Europe in December from a weather standpoint, but we ended up having fun anyway.

Senator Mark Kirk's Holiday Party

The Ballroom of the Renaissance Chicago North Shore Hotel on Skokie Boulevard in Northbrook  was not only stuffed with well wishers yesterday evening, December 19, 2010, at Senator Mark Kirk's holiday party, they spilled out into the hall and lobby as well. Mark was busy receiving every visitor--and it was a lot of them--as well as posing for pictures, looking quite tired, but very, very happy. The party was a good place to run into people you have known for years and years and also meet new people. Admission fee was a check to benefit the very highly regarded Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

From the candle lanterns outside the front door to the festive decorations inside, the hotel showed off its holiday finery, making a merry mood for all. Notable was the happy mood of the event--no worrying about an election not yet won.

Mark enjoyed telling the story of the old desk he was given for his office with many Senators names inscribed on it as well as the 1827 Bible of David Farragut, the nation’s first Navy admiral. which he used for his swearing in. Other than a brief update, Mark's remarks were short, leaving more time for the eating, drinking, and socializing which the large crowd was obviously enjoying.

It's been a long time since I attended a Republican event where everyone was cheerful, relaxed and without complaint, and it made me very happy to see the Grand Old Party rebuilding its strength to once again report for duty.

Preparing for Christmas

Hope you enjoy the digital Christmas story!

Holiday Party Tips

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy.

4. Always ask if the mashed potatoes were made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people's food. You want to insult your hostess?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. Spend the time you would have spent exercising taking a long nap. You don’t want to be tired for your holiday parties, do you?

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. Like a beautiful pair of shoes, if you leave these treats behind you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Pies should be eaten in threes; it’s luckier that way.

Have a great holiday season!!

H/t MD, via email