Two very different days and celebrations. Our youngest volunteer has the unfortunate birthdate of 12/24. My cousin Nancy has the same date of birth and I know how much she felt her birthday got sorta passed over during all the Christmas rush and good cheer. So for Lauren, I agreed to fix her favorite meal - lasagna! Ed and Georgia made homemade meatballs and sauce, George brought the fixings for a huge tossed salad (avacados are in season - yum) and Kelly & Mike brought 2 huge loaves of garlic bread. Jim brought 'holiday cheer' and my Kittian friend Grace baked her island-famous rum cake for desert - and we were all set, if not for your typical Christmas dinner, one that delighted everyone and was delicious. Love the picture of Lauren with one big fat candle stuck in the middle of the lasagna and as you see, the rest of the group was very merry indeed.
Christmas morning dawned a little cloudy and very windy. I had been invited to the ex-pat community Christmas Day Brunch on the Beach by Linda and Fred Nottingham, folks who live here full-time, but originally from Wisconsin. She brought her chedder-head hat and he his Packer beer coozie and many darts and arrows went back and forth about da Bears and the Pack! I met so many nice people, enjoyed the Bloody Mary taste-off, turkey with all the fixing, delicious salads, home-baked cakes and pies. The weather cooperated and though very different, thoroughly enjoyed sand in my toes instead of snow. We had the party at Shipwreck beach mid-way out Frigate Bay. The restaurant that is normally open was closed for the day so we got the benefit of their tables, beach chairs, and thatched potta-potties! From the pictures you'll see that there were several nice-sized yachts and one beautiful 3-masted schooner sharing the beach with us. Met people from France, St. Martins, Germany, the States, Barbados - a truly international Christmas.
So as Christmas ends and the New Year approaches, from a little island, with the waves of the Atlantic crashing on one side and the Caribbean jewel-tone waters lapping on the other, I send to you my warmest wishes for a very blessed, peaceful and joyous holiday season. No matter what our varied religious beliefs, for all of us it is a time of year for reflection; time to spend with those we love and hold dear; time to look up at a midnight sky and realize the same stars twinkle on all of us. It's the time of year to give thanks for what we have, and share with those than don't. It's the time of year to look forward to what could be, and plan for what will be. It's the time of year to hug those we know well, and hug those who really need one. It's the time of year to open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to the wonders that surround us each and every day. It's the time of the year to embrace life, love, joy and happiness, and be grateful for the peace and blessings, no matter how big or small, that come our way.
Take care of each other....
ReAnn
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