Christmas Eve with Heather, David and the kids...

As we've done for several years now, we had Christmas Eve dinner with Heather and her family last night. The kids were trying to be patient while we ate! Once the table was cleared, they were able to open the gifts from Grandpa and "Grandma M" - a book about animals and a puzzle for Jonathan, an American Girl Baking Table (with "treats") for Sophia, and scooters and helmets for the two little guys. They all seemed to be thrilled with their gifts, and we so enjoyed spending a lovely evening with the whole family.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" Bells...

Christmas - a magical time when new memories are made and old ones are bought to mind.

When Margaret's mother was still alive and hosting a Christmas Day gathering in her home, one of the traditions was for the family to sing "The Twelve Days of Christmas". This tradition included the ringing of twelve bell ornaments (one for each day) by the owner of that bell at the appropriate place in the music. (The bells had all been gifts to us from Mom.) Aunt Anne heard about this tradition from Lee and asked to see a picture of one of the bells. Here it is, hanging on our tree as it has for many years.

The Christmas table is taking shape...

Christmas dinner will be served here very soon! And, now we have the perfect centerpiece - a Christmas bouquet sent to Margaret for her birthday by her dear Aunt Anne and Uncle Byron! The new plaid tablecloth is comfy, winter casual. We think it will be a nice background for the Christmas dishes.

More Christmas lights in Newport and Balboa...

For Margaret's birthday on Tuesday night, we returned to Newport Beach for dinner at a lovely restaurant near the water. After dinner we drove onto Balboa Peninsula saw we could ride the ferry from the peninsula to Balboa Island. (Confusing, we know! It's a tiny island, reached by either ferry or bridge.) The ferry ride is short, just about five minutes, but it gave us a wonderful vantage of the lights on both sides. Once on the island, we drove through some of the residential streets and saw some beautiful home Christmas displays. The building outlined in lights seen twice in the distance is the historic Balboa Pavilion.

Margaret's Birthday Guardian Angel...

Margaret's big birthday surprise, a Guardian Angel made by two lady artists we discovered in Santa Barbara a few years ago. The horse head is painted from a photo Larry sent them of Belle! They did an amazing job of capturing her expression.

Christmas puppies...

Nica and Sassy peeking out from the stairs behind the Christmas tree.

The Newport Beach Boat Parade...

We've talked about going to watch the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade for years, but never thought to make reservations anywhere soon enough. (Or felt like braving cold breezes off the water to watch it from outside!) This year we remembered to call for a restaurant reservation in October and had a front row seat for the first of the five night parade of forty or more boats.

Please remember that these pictures were taken through the restaurant window and, of course, without a flash. We're not posting them because we think they are great pictures! (And there were many, many more too blurred to even bother uploading!) But, we thought you might enjoy seeing how elaborate some of the displays are. And, by the way, we have NO idea what the glowing red orbs are in many of these pictures.

Christmas Tree 2011...

It's funny how much our new artificial tree looks like the one we just retired. The shape is very similar, but this tree seems to have a bit more ornament space. (The better to keep buying ornaments!) We wish we could get our Christmas tree out of the "dining" area" and into the living room proper, but that would mean giving up a comfy chair that comes in handy with holiday guests!

No matter. We love our tree and how warm and festive it makes our home feel.

New bows to "deck the halls"...

The burgundy bows that have hung from our stair-railing during Christmas for years had finally given out. We think these plaid bows are a fun new look! (And that they practically match the new winter holiday table cloth bought a couple of weeks later was a nice bit of serendipity!)

Holiday decorating Southern California style...

Lots of people decorate the trunks of palm trees in these parts, but you don't often see the lights up into the palm fronds. Part of the decorations in a local strip mall!

Beautiful holiday lights...

En route to a barn Christmas party last night, we went in search of a home Christmas light display that had made the local newspaper. It was impressive - in a gawdy, not very Christmasy sort of way. (Also impossible to photograph well because it all flashed!) Still we were glad we had come to this particular neighborhood because many of the homes were beautifully decorated. We especially liked these two. (Apologies for the blurriness of the lights on that massive gate!)

Holiday "critters" in the neighborhood...

Drove once around the pool when we got home last night to check out our neighbors' Christmas lights. We saw Eyore, a Teddy Bear, and a Reindeer!

Isaac is two...

Got this photo from Heather. Here's Isaac enjoying his two year old birthday cupcake on Tuesday!

Sophia playing handbells...

...and singing with the choir.

Jonathan "preparing"...

...and singing in the chorus.

Sophia's Solo...

...actually part of her duet with a little boy out of camera range. The camera operator sends her apologies for the shaky camera work - her arm got tired!

Jonathan and Sophia's Christmas Pageant...

Jonathan and Sophia's Home School group presented their annual Christmas Pageant last night and both of them participated. Jonathan (wearing the argyle sweater) is still a bit shy about performing, but he joined in as part of the choir. On the other hand, Sophia (in the red dress) is very enthusiastic about appearing on stage and was one of the night's soloists. The show was adorable and all the kids were great.

Joshua and Isaac did a admirable job of sitting through the nearly hour long program. We were able to get a picture of Joshua, but Isaac, who turns two today(!) wasn't in the mood to be photographed. The good news is that he loved his new birthday tennis shoes that he got to open after the performance last night. We'll be seeing them all again, very soon, on Christmas Eve. Of course there will be lots more pictures.

Winter Sawdust Festival...

We made our first ever visit to the Winter Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach this morning. Artists in so many different medias sell their pieces there, it's almost too much to take in! The grounds are decorated for the season, and Santa is in his workshop for the kids to visit. Despite the fact that the winds are still mighty chilly, we certainly enjoyed our time there today just as much as when we went over the summer. And, we got a bit of shopping done, too!

A new tradition...

Last year we went to the Lighting of the Bay (the Back Bay in Newport Beach) Ceremony for the first time and had such a good time that we put it on our calendar for this year. Always the first Friday night in December, it's such a festive way to kick off the holiday. Despite the chilly "breezes" coming across the bay, this year's event was very well attended, and just as much fun as we remembered from last year. Big steaming cups of hot chocolate helped fight the chill. Hot dogs, chili and chowder were also available.

The first group of kids performing, OC Song and Dance, is made up of adolescents and younger teens who do just what the name says - sing and dance. They are adorable. They were followed by a local high school choir who did a short set of traditional Christmas carols quite beautifully. Then Santa arrived in a decked out red jeep to throw the switch and light up the bay. New (we think) this year was the inclusion of a Menorah and Star of David on one of the lighted floats in the bay. Something for everyone!