Tis the season for gathering! First Rich and I headed to Wisconsin to celebrate with Rich's side of the family, where we ate warm meals, explored in the snow, and basically camped out by the fireplace for two days sharing stories with family. It was a beautiful home, filled with just as wonderful people. It was hard to imagine a Christmas away from my own family, but what a blessing the family I am entering has become. As my immediate family expands to add in fiancées, scheduling our own holiday celebrations have become a bit more difficult. So we became the hosts this year, due to being a middle ground meeting place. This meant squeezing all our family (and some friends) into our little two bedroom apartment for the weekend. It was quickly filled with cooking, games, presents, laughter, all the best of Christmas, and of course, a whole lot of love.

I even heard my dad say "there is something nice about a small kitchen, it brings everyone close" This year for me, Christmas was found in the sacred small spaces I shared with the ones I love.