Although today is Christmas Eve, my Christmas is over. Dad and I had ours yesterday with my son and his beautiful family. We had a nice visit and our family’s traditional Christmas Eve with pizza, pizza balls, and popcorn cake. We opened gifts and after a great afternoon, we left.

The only thing missing was our tradition of watching Christmas movies, as we did when my kids were little. The Santa Claus, Trapped In Paradise, Bad Santa, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, and the originals Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas were among our favorites. Of course, the list changed over the years as movies such like Bad Santa were inappropriate for little ones!

It’s been a rough couple of months and it was nice not to worry about a holiday meal or cleaning for guests. I think my days of hosting family get-togethers are over. Last year, I put out a charcuterie board and even that was hard on me. So, I really appreciate my son and his wife having us over this year. No stress, no mess. I wish I could say no pain, but I’ll always have pain to deal with.

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, my friends. I hope your celebration is filled with peace, love, and laughter!