seeing the stars

In between gingerbread castle parties and bon voyage to Germany gatherings and youth group caroling, the boys worked together on another Rube Goldberg marble apparatus. There was also time over the weekend to match clean socks and research the Brecon Beacons, produce special presents and wrap a few gifts, make puppy chow and review for midterms. Andy and I even snuck out for our own grown up holiday get together, where the tradition is to meet in the back of the house with someone who knows how to play the piano. It is never not fun to harmonize with both solid friends from high school AND neighbors we barely know, all of whom are our favorite humans in the world on this night every year. Music is magic.

And on another note of seasonal joy, I was reminded that in the book "Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia" the notoriously confused housemaid tops the Rogers' Christmas tree with a mirror because “I would like to be a star…I guess everybody would." So underneath the mirror she puts a sign that reads “See the star.”