I didn't expect to be writing on the blog today, but I decided to share the pictures of our family Christmas Eve party, so here I am. We were at Bill and Monika's. We had a lovely dinner, and everyone was able to be on hand. Even though we are all in close proximity, we don't always keep in touch or see one another often, so we have lots to catch up on when we're all together.

There had been a little snow during the day, but the roads were fine.

When my mother was alive, she decided one year to make "teddy bears." She got a pattern and started sewing and stuffing. Various infants were the recipients of her sometimes unusual bears, usually made from colorful fleece, back when fleece was used mostly for bathrobes. After both my parents had passed away and Fred and I came to live here at their house, I found the pattern Mom had used - and a finished big, blue bear! I put it away and mostly forgot about it until baby Tangeni was born in July, but because the bear is so large, I decided to wait to give it to her. Christmas seemed like perfect timing.

Jo-Ann opened her presents from us and her aunts and uncles, and then she asked her parents to open one of theirs. She had made a very nice ceramic "fish bowl" for her dad, and a lovely ceramic heart for her mom. We were impressed by the colors and the design, and although she protested saying she is "not artistic," we all heartily disagree. You'll see both items in the short slide show.









After we left Waterford, we stopped at McDonald's in St. Johnsbury for a coffee for me. St. Johnsbury was unusually quiet, and I thought the streets were not lighted as nicely as I remembered in past years. Down at the old railroad station where the Welcome Center is (above left), there were lots of decorations, but not many along Railroad Street (above right) or up on Main Street.

Here's the short slide show: Christmas Eve

It's still snowing lightly and has warmed up to about 20 degrees. It went to -6.1 degrees last night, so Santa must have had a cold ride when he visited our area.
Everything has been very quiet at Joe's Pond today - almost no traffic. It's been a lovely Christmas Day.

We've had lots of lovely cards, both regular and e-cards, this year. Homer Fitts wrote that he and Margaret will not be heading south this year - they are going to enjoy winter at their home in Barre. Homer said they have lots of friends there and lots going on that they both enjoy. That's good for our Ice Out Contest. The flag and clock are set up at Homer's cottage, and sometimes we've worried that he wouldn't get back from Florida in time to give us a hand. In spite of the present cold weather, it won't be long before we'll be charging ahead to get as many Ice Out Tickets as possible sold. It's been a strange start for winter here, so we have no clue what our spring will be like or when we might expect the ice to be gone and the contest over.