Ebenezer once said to an inquisitive townsman, “I’m going to have Christmas with my family.” And that’s what we did!

Ruth and I traveled to a quaint Pennsylvania Dutch community called Doylestown where my daughter and her two sons call home. Her husband is on deployment in Afghanistan. We hoped to fill the big void while he was away. Plus it was good for us too! One of the little fellas is 2 years old, the other is 6, and has just started school. You could sense the excitement in each of them.

Christmas Eve featured baked lasagna for dinner, followed by a ride through the city to enjoy the festive light displays. None were over the top, but they were elegant and beautiful. We enjoyed the originality in many, and loved the porches with wreaths and garlands accented with lights. The boys loved the many animated characters. There were the traditional reindeer, polar bears, and Disney characters.

We especially loved the Crèche displays; many made of wood, and painted snow white. The reflection from the glow of a spotlight made them stand out magnificently.

The downtown featured giant snowflakes attached to old fashioned light poles. That was beautiful too! We didn’t want the ride to end, but there were still many gifts to wrap, and we had to get the boys to bed. I bet you can guess who didn’t want to go to bed! That’s right, the 2-year-old. He was going to wait up for Santa.

His mother tried rocking him to sleep, but that didn’t work. She tried his favorite bedtime fruit drink, and that didn’t work. When all else failed, she lay down with him in his own bed. That took a while, but it did the trick.

Meanwhile, “Mammy and Bampy” started lugging in the unwrapped gifts, some from the trunk of the car, some we brought in from the garage, and a few that were hidden behind a closet door. Guess what my job was? Putting together a Punch & Judy puppet stage. Trust me, I would have rather bit into a sour grapefruit, than to struggle with directions translated by Chinese interpreter.

Frustrated as I was, I managed to put it together. I finished at the same time the women got all the wrapping done. That was real stress! Anyway, everything looked beautiful when the tree was surrounded by colorful gifts. My daughter took pictures and emailed them to her husband who was 12 hours ahead of us, and Christmas had already arrived.

Next thing I knew it was Christmas morning. The boys came down stairs as I was having my first cup of coffee. I heard one say “Santa was here.” They checked the cookies left for Santa, and sure enough he had tasted each one. Next came the normal chaos of opening presents and shouts of glee.

“Just what I wanted” and “ look mommy, look what Santa brought me.”

I was between the tree and the boys, and tried to keep order. Ha! But soon it was over and then came the order of the day. “Bampy, can you help me put this together?” This went on for hours. Two boys, two race sets, and a couple Lego kits. That was quite a day!

We capped off the day with a wonderful dinner complete with a lemon and chocolate pies. We enjoyed having Christmas with the family. We hope you did too!

The word from Mort our treasurer was good news as well. He reported we received $ 1,400 in donations. An anonymous donor sent $100 in memory of Priscilla Montgomery. Thank you anonymous. Frances Stinson donated $50. Thank you Frances.

The Harry C. Crooker & Sons Corp. has once again exhibited their support for the Santa Claus Fund by donating $ 1,250. We are so very much appreciate for this generous donation. Thank you to the Harry S. Crooker & Sons, their employees, and their families.

The newest donations bring our total to $38,981.92. Our community has “put a smile on many children this year.” Thank you to all who made contributions, both material donations and money donations. You are all fantastic.

Good night and I will be back tomorrow.