Hip Hip Hooray for Christmas Vacation

It is official - our Christmas break has begun!

I wanted to post one last update before Christmas and the big break hit. MaryKatherine is home for a visit, Dom and I have the week off together, our friends are in from out of town (and out of country in some cases) and I want to soak up as much time together as possible!

We had many office holiday parties before we left, and I managed to remember to bring my camera to the big one.

Everyone got together to celebrate the year's achievements, and our bosses shared wonderful words of encouragement.

Our student workers Jen and Kabita...not entirely sure of how to react to their bosses drinking.

The gals reading the "12 Days Before Holiday Break" - our personalized rendition of a Christmas favorite. Academic humor...gotta love it!

Milagros absconding with her Caribbean Egg Nog...from the quality of the photo, you can tell that I had been sampling!

Milagros is both a wonderful colleague and one of our neighbors - she is one of those women that says more with one hug than I could hope to communicate with an entire essay.

The only ones that didn't scatter when the camera came out...

And holiday parties at work mean decorations and wrapping at home!

(And, yes, Tugger was yelled at for climbing on the table right after that photo was taken!)

It means the smell of spices, sugarplums and pine...

It means the sound of carols filling our home, and the sweet glow of our Christmas tree....each ornament telling a different story or symbolizing a different memory

It means welcoming people into our home to celebrate the season of birth and renewal...feeding one another delicious family treats and feeding one another's souls with love

It means time with girlfriends and people that are part of your extended family...again I could have used a "designated photographer"

It means Santa Claus visiting our street, and filling our neighbors' children with hope and excitement....

But most of all: it means that in the evening, just before bedtime, we spend time reflecting on how much each of you mean to us. We acknowledge how the gift of Christmas is celebrated in our lives all throughout the year. We are so thankful for the many blessings that God has brought to us - and we remember that the real gifts in this life can't be gift wrapped or stuffed into a stocking. The gift giving is the fun part - the meaningful part is the opportunity that the gift exchanging brings with it....the opportunity to thank people for the incredible value that they add to our lives.

This year, we especially remember the people that we love who will be spending their first Christmas in heaven. In so many ways, the loved ones that we lost this year personified the spirit of Christmas: the fun, the magic, the generosity. We know that they are with us in spirit, as we are with all of you.

Shower the People You Love With Love

During our time together in Florida, we also gathered to celebrate the eagerly anticipated expansion of our family. My cousin Jennifer (Jenny) and her wonderful husband Tim are expecting their first bundle in 2008!

I was blessed to be able to attend Jen and Tim's wedding, as they did ours, and to be able to share in their joy at this exciting time in their lives is such an honor. Over the years we have built a wonderful relationship - and when we spend time together it is just about as much fun as any of us can stand.

Jennifer looked absolutely radiant; she is as breathtaking a mother as she was a bride.

My cousin Becky (Jenny's sister...which is probably the more relevant detail) and Jenny's mom (my Aunt Bridie...there I got the priority correct on that one) put together such a wonderful shower and brunch! Not one detail was overlooked.

Becky, Aunt Margaret and all of us took turns loving up the baby bump...and mommy, too!

Mommy and Grandma...a most beautiful bond.

Riley was SO ready to eat! And proof that I was there (as I adjust my camera settings)!



As with all showers, we played games-and as with all Hogan activities, no one followed directions! But it resulted in lots of laughs and amusing nicknames for Baby Sanders (aka "Nifer")



There was laughter and stories of growing up....and as we sat sharing our family history, it occurred to me that Baby Sanders will learn to recite our stories by heart and they will become his own, and our cacophonous laughter will rock him to sleep...and I pray that our family is a source of strength for him as it has been for us.





There were all kinds of adorable and soft gifts. And Riley helped Aunt Jenny to get through all of her loot!



Well...what is MEANT as help often turns into a tissue paper party!



Clearly the guests had just a wonderful time....and we got some loot of our own!



And as afternoon broke, we continued on with our vacation and celebrated Jenny in different ways (mostly by running through roller coaster lines so that she didn't have to wait too long!)....but also in tending to her, making sure that she was comfortable and hydrated.

With people like Jenny, who are always so attentive to the needs of others, it is a pleasure and a rare occasion that one gets to reciprocate the doting.




We will always remember that day with fondness and love...but for now, we eagerly anticipate the arrival of Jen and Tim's son. We already love him, and in some ways, we already know him. We know that he will have the beauty and compassion of his mother, the patience and strength of his father, and the support of his family. The magic is in not knowing...not even being able to imagine...what he will use that to accomplish.