"The reason for the season!"

The morning dawned sunny but cool, so Roger and I got out for a walk before breakfast, walking along the Buffalo Bayou. After breakfast, we opened our stocking presents, but as is tradition in our family, we saved the other presents till after dinner. This year seemed to be the year of sweatshirts! Laura had bought Miami University (Ohio) sweatshirts for Jen and Roger, and Philip had bought Air Force sweatshirts for Roger and I! In the evening we drove down to Galveston to Moody Gardens to see their Festival of Lights, which was wonderful and very good value for money, especially compared with our Cincinnati Zoo's Festival of Lights. The lights extended over quite a large area, and depicted all sorts of things, but in this one area they had the Christmas story portrayed, and read at intervals over speakers - on one side, the lights depicted the buildings of Bethlehem, and on the other, the nativity scene with the shepherds on one side and the kings on the other. A great way to wind up the day, reminding us what the season is really about - not the gifts and decorations and food, but a baby in a manger!

One year ago: Christmas dinner!