Remember, Remember, The End of December (and of 2020!)

And just like that, 2020 is behind us. The last two weeks of the month went fairly well here in the holler. William's birthday was full of joy and play, ending with a cake of exquisite beauty thanks to Queen P. 

Goofballs getting ready to open birthday presents. Ha!

Then, Christmas! We made gingerbread houses (from scratch!), as well as gingerbread cookies (Fannie Farmer Baking Book recipe), fruitcake bars, nutmeg maple butter cookies, and mini maple pecan pies (Fannie Farmer again) to give to family. We listened to lots of Christmas music, mixing it up to include jazzy Christmas tunes, classic carols, and annoying jangly modern stuff (I'm looking at you, Jojo Siwa). 

I know the lighting is not great in this photo but I just had to share the Christmas T-Rex and Stegosaurus amongst the other more traditional designs.

On Christmas morning Taiya woke up early and went downstairs to use the bathroom. I woke up in time to hear her going down the stairs, and so I listened to her movements. She used the bathroom, then crept into the living room and spotted the big presents for her and William, which we didn't wrap: folding, cushy saucer chairs so they could each have a snuggly cozy spot of their own. I heard her sit in one, and then she came upstairs, climbed into bed with us, and told me she had been downstairs and tried out the chairs. She was so honest! I probably would have lied and pretended to be surprised. What a good girl. At this point it was around 6:15 a.m., still dark, and we snuggled until William woke up. Then the dam broke and we all trundled downstairs for coffee and presents. It was a joyful time, the kids excited about their gifts, me relieved that they were excited, and Jeremy in a pre-caffeinated fuzz. He's not a morning person. 

Not a creature was stirring... except maybe Princess the Mouse.

On Christmas afternoon we went up to the farm to check on the MANY baby goats that were born that week. We have eighteen now, more boys than girls. They are doing well and are as adorable as you can imagine. Unfortunately, we also got there in time to witness, from a distance, unsafe holiday behavior by Jeremy's family. They were having an indoor meal at the farmhouse with multiple family units, and later we saw group photos they took of the event. So much for flattening the curve. But at least they were gracious about us not joining them. 

Baby goat selfie in my new hat Jeremy got me for Christmas!

In related news, Jeremy's Granddaddy has received his first dose of the vaccine, thank goodness. I believe it was sometime after Christmas that he got it, but still. He is definitely in the vulnerable category, being in his late 80s. 

For New Year's Eve, Jeremy and I were allowed the treat of a night to ourselves. His mom and step-dad had quarantined themselves after she finished the semester, so they'd been home alone for 14 days, as had we. We brought the kids over midday, then we ditched them and got sushi take-out. We got home and ate reverently, dipping the sushi in wasabi-laced soy sauce, draping the pickled ginger across the top, then eating it all in one bite. In silence. With beer (non-alcoholic for me). For the rest of the day I watched Bridgerton on Netflix, in my pj's, in bed, eating bonbons. Literally. It was amazing. So many times I have the impulse to "get a lot done" while the kids are gone, but this time, I needed to put my own oxygen mask on first and just breathe. 

And so, now it is 2021. Not much is different except we are that much closer to Trump being out of office, there's rising concern/panic about the new COVID variant, and there is a vaccine being slowly distributed. COVID numbers are alarming in Arkansas, up to 4,300 new cases one day recently, and today it was 3,800. I don't keep up every day, but Jeremy shares with me the particularly alarming numbers. There's no room to let up on our vigilance. It's getting scary. 

Dear Readers, you small but mighty following: may you all step into the new year with hope and light slung on your backs. I have shared here the lighter parts of my December, but there have been some low days among them where I felt tired on so many levels. I know, though, that a little hope and a little light make a big difference and will get us through this pandemic in one piece. Hope, light, masks, soap, water, and hand sanitizer. And not eating in restaurants. So, maybe put a sandwich, some hand sanitizer and extra masks in those packs of yours too, so I can see you on the other side. Be well, friends.