Christmas/New Year Plans?

Anyone looking forward to anything in particular this Christmas and New Year?

After I go off grid (beginning this coming Wednesday the 13th) the mad dash will begin to carry out the annual caroling ministry I run at our church and then get us out the door and on the plane (we leave the 21st) to be with Holly's family in Pennsylvania until January 1st. We'll have our little family Christmas here before we go, which involves a meal of Lasagna and Seven Layer Salad, singing Christmas songs, reading something from the Bible (not always "the Christmas story", sometimes I read from the first chapter of John) and opening presents.

Once in PA I'm really looking forward to relaxing far away from any weekly deadlines or agendas. I'll be taking my PS4 along for the first time (usually it's been my 360 or PSTV and handhelds) and digging in to a handful of open world ubisoft games (Ghost Recon Wildlands, Assassin's Creed Origins and Watchdogs 2) along with returning to (and now enjoying!) ELEX after applying some helpful cheats!

A highlight will likely be their church's Christmas Eve service, which starts at 11pm, usually has no kids present and has a very quiet, meditative feel. While I probably prefer the actual content of our Christmas Eve services at home, I really like the quiet atmosphere and the resulting chance it gives me to be more "alone with Jesus together" at the end of a roller coaster season.

Usually nothing rocking the world for New Year's Eve. I'm sure I'll stay up and probably just use it as an excuse to play some more video games and eat kettle corn.

How about you guys?

December is event-filled at our church.
Last week we celebrated our children and youth, recognising those who have achieved milestones this year (e.g. those entering the kids program, those graduating out of it etc)

Tomorrow morning we have out annual hamper service, where we give food hampers to lots of needy people in our community. We are hosting a family this year. Linda made contact with her over the phone the other day. So we greet her when she arrives at church, sit with her during the service and help her carry her hamper to her car.

Then our annual Christmas production. Nobody in my family is involved this year, so we can just sit back and enjoy the show.

I'm taking my wife and 1 year old daughter to Michigan to meet my family. 90-95%% of my family live in Michigan, both my mom and dad's side. I'm hoping it snows like crazy because my wife and I both love cold weather and I want to show my daughter real snow. It just "snowed" her in New Orleans on Friday but it's not like the real stuff. The humidity and moister of NOLA makes everything worse. It makes the hot hotter and cold colder. I've shoveled snow in MI in -17deg weather in a T-shirt but in the 30's here in NOLA you have to wear like 3 layers. And I challenge anyone to say they have it hotter in the summer if they don't live in the south east US.

Weather aside, it'll also be Ellie's first plane flight. We have plans on plans to occupy her, but I remember going on planes most of my life between NOLA and Detroit and I just loved the experience. I'm hoping she feels the same.

Tim wrote:

Weather aside, it'll also be Ellie's first plane flight. We have plans on plans to occupy her,

Oh man, pro tip: Bring something sweet for her to chew, like gummy bears or something she can handle to help her ears during take-off and landing (or just to pacify her if she gets upset). Every parent gets their turn at having "that kid" on the plane, but if you can dodge that bullet, dodge it! Either way, if things go south, know that the flight will end eventually.

On the other hand, my wife calls me Paranoid Boy with good reason. So maybe just never mind my ramblings.

Paeter wrote:

Tim wrote:

Weather aside, it'll also be Ellie's first plane flight. We have plans on plans to occupy her,

Oh man, pro tip: Bring something sweet for her to chew, like gummy bears or something she can handle to help her ears during take-off and landing (or just to pacify her if she gets upset). Every parent gets their turn at having "that kid" on the plane, but if you can dodge that bullet, dodge it! Either way, if things go south, know that the flight will end eventually.

On the other hand, my wife calls me Paranoid Boy with good reason. So maybe just never mind my ramblings.

Yeah, that's probably the most given advice we get. I think as long as she has her pacifier with her, she should be fine.