I am not tempted to make a check-mark on my list called, “Take down Christmas”.  My bathroom’s red and green fingertip towels are in no danger of being sequestered to the attic any time soon. I love the twinkle lights, in and on my home, that brighten the dark, wintry nights that lie ahead.

The Holidays seem to linger at my house. For starters, the week following Christmas, I have three parties to attend. I still have ornaments to buy for next year. (Yes, I am that cheap, that I will buy keepsake Hallmark ornaments the year ahead or 5 years ahead; even though the imprinted year will be not exactly, how do you say… accurate.)  I have grown so accustom to eating other people’s baked goods, that I may just have to do some Christmas cookie baking of my own.  I have soups to simmer with left-over ham. And I will continue to watch films from my Holiday movie collection well into 2009.

Most others rush to pack away decor, dishes and photos in big plastic bins the day after December 25th. I will be here, most of January and maybe a few days of February, sipping cocoa, letting the lights twinkle, and still talking about true meaning of Christmas.

Below are some more images from Christmas…I just can’t let go. I love Christmas!

Our first year doing Santa. Ry told us about how toys get to our homes, "Jesus makes the gifts, you know, Santa just delivers them to us."

He filled our wool-sock stockings with care.

We found an ornament on Grammy Kris' tree of Neat Pete circa 1st or 2nd grade.

Nothing says, Christmas, like letting an 18 month old try to put her bow onto the family cat.