I Heard the Bells

Dear Friends,

Enjoy the words to one of my favorite Christmas carols with me.

Christmas Bells

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1864)

I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Till ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said; “For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.” Love Jan

Merry Christmas Everyone

Well this day is almost over. We have enjoyed friends and family, as well as a peaceful afternoon. Oh, can't forget the ham...ham was served for a luncheon at work yesterday, went to the Lewis Compound for Christmas Eve dinner..ham and then Nikki and I prepared a wonderful, you guessed it!...ham dinner here at home. You will never guess what I am taking to work for lunch tomorrow!

All of the meals were wonderful, especially the ones I enjoyed with family. I even had a call from Mat today. He is in Arkansas with his other Vernon family and having a great time. Keep your fingers crossed, there may be work for them soon.

We had our traditional breakfast of crepes, egg cassarole and Shawn made the best "fatties" in his smokers earlier this week for us. If you have never had one of these treasures before, you must try them sometime. They are made from sausage and wrapped inside are all kinds of wonderful things-cheese, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, chili, and wonderful spices, all smoked together. What a treat. It's Christmas so I don't have to worry about cholesterol. Right!

The kids loved the gift cards I gave them. It makes shopping so much easier-especially for teens. Movie money and Barnes & Noble, the best of both worlds. I also got copies of "The Last Lecture" for the 3 oldest because I think it has such a strong message about working towards goals, dreams and learning.

We went to see a movie today. My darling daughters decided I needed to see this-http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/bedtimestories/ . It was very funny but now I remember why I don't go to movies much.

We have a wonderful tradition in our family started many years ago by Mom. She started making a homemade ornament for every member of the family. As Mom got older, she decided to let us take over. We have shared some wonderful ornaments and look forward to continuing the tradition for many generations. This year Lisa made ornaments similar to one of Mom's first one and put a sweet tag on each of them to remind us of Mom and what she started. This little crocheted stocking was also one of her first ornaments as well as the beaded icicle below. Thanks Mom for a wonderful tradition.

It's back to work tomorrow and then a couple of days off next week. I may try to go up to Vernon if the weather holds off for a day or two. Actually one of the best things about the holiday weeks is the lack of traffic. Hip, Hip, Hooray!