Since our experience in Hilton Head two Christmases ago was so positive, we decided to do it again. However, instead of warm, we went cold. Wisconsin cold.
We met in Chicago first to regroup and make cookies, then we caravanned north.
We stayed in Lake Geneva, courtesy of my sister’s in-law’s timeshare (Thank you, Mary Ann and Ed!). We did all of the things one might do over the Christmas holiday: puzzling, reading, board games, eating more sweets than necessary…
To our delight, it snowed on Christmas Eve, which made our time in Lake Geneva more beautiful.
We went for a walk around the quiet town on Christmas Eve just as everything was closing for the night.
It was SO COLD, so we wrapped up our evening walk and went back to the hotel to get back in pajamas and settle in for the night. Come Christmas morning, we had no new snow, but the frozen tundra of Wisconsin was still gloriously white.
The four boys woke up ready to open presents!
Because they had already been given so much this year and every year, I did well to stick to the Four Gift Rule – something they want, something to read, something to wear, something they need. To have a small pile of gifts and not hear complaining is a GLORIOUS THING.
Iceland beanie!
My sister honored my grandmother, who passed away in March, by having some of her collectible spoons made into jewelry for my mother, herself, and me.
And when the gift-giving was over, we disbursed to read and work on the puzzle, which we were determined to finish by Christmas night.
We left Wisconsin the next morning and returned to Chicago, where we had one more day together before going our separate ways. I value our time together so dearly since we don’t live close to one another.
We all know what happened next. The drive home on Wednesday was overshadowed by my growing fever and vomiting in the car. The next day Chuck came down with the flu, and the day after that, it was Jeremy’s turn. We were fever-free by New Year’s Eve, but the whole of last week is a complete fog. Somehow it turned into 2018.
Ultimately, I’m thankful we were all well for Christmas! Where shall we go in 2019?