And the greatest of these

We ran out of beds, oven space, printer ink, ice, apple juice and time.

I wrapped my last present Christmas morning, and finished my holiday baking two hours later.

My love light batteries died.

I forgot to buy the evaporated milk for the pumpkin pie.

I broke a glass on the kitchen floor and had to evacuate the room briefly during peak cooking hours.

We used every baking pan in our kitchen, though one, sadly, did not survive its spontaneous trip to the grill for last minute searing of some undercooked meat.

This Christmas was one of my favorites.

Every single member of my family rose to the occasion of this particularly hectic holiday season. They extended invitations to guests they’d never met, cooked delicious food, offered thoughtful toasts, gave up their own beds when the house got too full, set the table late one night when everyone else had gone to bed, bought extra presents so everyone would have something to unwrap, took efficient showers, ran last-minute errands, patiently waited while we rotated food through the oven at our house, and sent us home with leftovers from theirs.

We laughed at old stories and made new memories; gave a few special gifts and received a few more; welcomed new friends and family members and held close to our hearts all the lovers of Christmas we’ve known throughout our lives who are no longer with us.

I made a few mistakes this year, crammed in a little too much activity and ran out of an item or two. But, in the end, it didn’t matter because the greatest gift of the holiday season is love and that we had in abundance.

Here’s hoping your holidays were full of love and laughter as well.

Merry Christmas!