merry, jolly, bright

 CHRISTMAS DAY

A baby is a harmless thing

    And wins our hearts with one accord,

And Flower of Babies was their King,

    Jesus Christ our Lord:

Lily of lilies He

Upon His Mother's knee;

Rose of roses, soon to be

Crowned with thorns on leafless tree.

A lamb is innocent and mild

    And merry on the soft green sod;

And Jesus Christ, the Undefiled,

    Is the Lamb of God:

Only spotless He

Upon His Mother's knee;

White and ruddy, soon to be 

Sacrificed for you and me.

Nay, lamb is not so sweet a word,

    Nor lily half so pure a name;

Another name our hearts hath stirred,

    Kindling them to flame:

"Jesus" certainly

Is music and melody:

Heart with heart in harmony

Carol we and worship we.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and, like much of the nation, we're hunkered down with the wind swirling and howling outside our windows.  In the space of a few hours here, we've had thunder and lightning, hail, ice, rain, and snow.  What a blessing it is to have a roof over our heads and warm radiators to lean against.  

I've got a pot of beans simmering on the stove for one last round of pizza beans before we break the fast on Sunday, and there's some dough rising in a warm oven for a crusty loaf of bread*.  The kids keep winding our Christmas music boxes. "Silent Night" tinkles throughout the house.  The tree is in pieces on the floor, awaiting a strong male (or three) to assemble it.  Children brought our boxes and bins of ornaments up from the basement this morning.  Energy is high.  (Too high!) 

Goals for our Christmastide: coziness and rest.  We've got this.

May your Christmas be blessed!  See you in the New Year!

* It's the New York Times No-Knead Bread Recipe, which is behind a paywall.  I used the one that has a 4 hour rising time.

Edited:  One more thing!  We've been enjoying this festive album as we decorate.