The Magic Glasses

In yesterday's posting, I whined about how miserable I was over missing our traditional Christmas eve visit with my family, where we go to my home church, sing Silent Night by candle light, and then go back to my parents' house to listen to them read Twas the Night Before Christmas.

You may be relieved to hear (as I was) that the weather perked up for Christmas day, and it actually got sunny out in the afternoon, and so we had beautiful weather for our Christmas day family visit. All hands were present and healthy, praise the Lord and hallelujah!

We enjoyed my mom's famous baked chicken dinner, with mashed potatoes and gravy and stuffing and pickled eggs. I contributed lots and lots of chocolate chip cookies, and the meal was supplemented by fudge and other holiday treats.

My nephew Joe, in college now, and a fellow fan of the Arboretum's garden kaleidoscope and the art it renders, brought along diffraction glasses for our amusement. And so we took turns passing the glasses around and looking through them at the lights on the Christmas tree. The glasses turned everything into rainbows! Cool!

My parents, age 86, were as game as anybody, and we hooted and carried on to see them take their own turns at the glasses. My dad was pretty cute with them on, but my mom really took the cake. In the shot just before this, my husband was standing behind her giving her bunny ears.

She had just come from the kitchen where she had been cooking, so she had her hair covered (always a good idea, especially for all of us who don't enjoy finding hair in our food). And then she put on the glasses, and smiled to look around and see . . .

The magic of Christmas, with those she loves best around her in one place, finally at last: all family at home, all warm and healthy and happy, plenty of food and drink for all, and presents under the tree. We are surely well blessed! And of COURSE, she's smiling her beautiful smile, which it warms my heart to see.

The main soundtrack for this image is a song my mother has loved since it came out in 1978. She is one of the people in my life who taught me that it's not always what the world IS, but how you choose to see it. Here's John Conlee, with Rose Colored Glasses.

I'm adding a bonus track, but I'll admit this one's for me, an 80s girl. I only learned the sad news of George Michael's passing this morning upon waking. Here's a song that's relevant to this posting: Queen and George Michael, with Somebody to Love.