My Snowbound Oklahoma Christmas

Thanks to those of you who expressed interest in my missing blog! I have added links so anyone interested can purchase my books on line.

Like last year, the Christmas season presented challenges. Jolene's death didn't lay as heavily on my heart, but Mom is now in assisted living ... my son celebrates his faith in the Messiah through Jewish festivals and thus skips Christmas ... so I had to prepare my heart and spirit for a different sort of Christmas celebration.

After the week-long Hannukah celebration with Jaran and his family--can anyone say wonderful?--I was almost welcoming a lowkey Christmas.

I didn't expect to be snowbound! As Tamela Hancock Murray (a co-author of Snowbound Colorado Christmas) said, too bad this wasn't the year we were writing that collection. I could have written from personal experience ...

Snow began falling on Christmas Eve and ended up accumulating 14" in Oklahoma City, the most ever on a single day in this area. Inches of snow pushed against my door (never have I been so thankful for shelter) and snow drifted waist high at the edge of the doorstep. I couldn't get out.

So I stayed home on Christmas Day, baked chocolate cookies, and ate hot dogs and cookies for my Christmas dinner. I had an unopened present ... in my car ... it might as well have been back in Denver.

I had a wonderful morning with the Lord, and enjoyed watching the Librarian movies in the evening. I confess in between I wasted some time in self-pity. Saturday, ditto--especially when we lost power, my son couldn't get here and even the food delivery guys couldn't make it out. (I was getting really tired of hot dogs!)

Yesterday Jaran dug out the path to the car and took me to a convenience store for peanut butter, bread and milk. Never did grilled cheese taste so good! Today I hope to drive myself over to Mom's for a much belated Christmas.

What a Christmas. In retrospect, I suspect I will see the humor of it more than I felt it at the time. What a reminder that Christmas is about God with us, and not about the trappings.

One of my resolutions for 2010: write in this blog, at least once a week.

Thanks to all those who stop by.