The Feast So Far

So far, this has been a very fun Nativity Feast.

Day 1
Of course, it started the night before with the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil at St. Stephen's where we heard St. John’s Nativity Homily. No better way to begin the feast. It was also our first time to have Communion in our new Parish. After getting home about half past midnight we went to bed. Woke up in the morning did morning prayers and then opened presents. (I received bic pens, socks, and underwear.) While I went out looking for wreathes, trees, and holly being thrown away (one of the advantages of waiting until Christmas to decorate for Christmas) Cyndi cooked a fabulous breakfast of thick cut baccon, eggs, and toasted panettone.
Then as Anselm and I listened to Christmas music and decorated the house, Cyndi cooked HAM!!! We took much of the 40lb. Ham to my sisters house where my mother, two of my siblings, and some friends celebrated. (I thought I would try to save some money and bring Piper Sonoma champagne (notice that I am not linking to them.) instead of my usual Chandon Blanc de Noirs or Agrapart & Fils Blanc de Blancs. Big mistake. Can you say hideous bitter aftertaste? Yuck!)
Delivered cookies to the neighbors.
Read children’s Christmas books.

Day 2
Panettone for Breakfast!!!!
Hosted a gingerbread man party for my nieces. Super fabulous fun. My mother was in attendance.
Ham for lunch and dinner!!!
Read the children’s book “Stephen’s Feast” to my nieces and sons. Much Fun!!!
My nephew and I acted out the song Good King Wenceslas. Much Fun!!!
Vesperal Liturgy for the Feast of St. Stephen at St. Stephen's.

Day 3
Panettone for Breakfast!!!!
Did a little Christmas present shopping.
Read children’s Christmas books.

Day 4
Panettone for Breakfast!!!!
Laundry
Rearranged some furniture.
Nothing too exciting except my beautiful and talented wife made these amazing little cookies filled with apricot jam and raisins. YUM!!!
Dinner: hearty HAM and lintel soup!!!!

Day 5
Breakfast: oatmeal with BUTTER!!!!! YUM!!!!
We went for a walk around Stowe Lake, ate HAM !!!! sandwiches, returned some children’s Christmas books to the library.
Mailed some Christmas presents.
Dinner: HAM and lentil soup!!!!
Wrote and printed the Christmas letter.
Watched the best movie version ever made of “A Christsmas Carol” on DVD (No. I do not have a television machine. We watched it on the computer.)
Watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas on DVD
Watched the National Geographic Christmas special, “Animal Holiday” on DVD.

Regarding Childrens Christmas Books: Of the three or four dozen we have read these are the best (in no particular order):
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (Warning: tear jerker)
The Tale of the Three Trees (Warning: tear jerker)
Babushka
Stephen's Feast
I Saw Three Ships (Warning: tear jerker)
HARK! (this book is illustrated by Tomie dePaola, perhaps the best writer/illustrator there is of books for Orthodox and Roman Catholic children.
The Story of the Three Wise Kings (written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola)