Lighting Candles, Opening Presents!
My family celebrated Hanukkah Saturday night, 16 December 2017. Hanukkah has been The Holiday where we all get together, going back to the mid-70's, or about forty years. The cast of characters has changed, but our delight in each other remains the motivating factor.
As usual, Pam and John hosted the party. We ate lots of food, caught up with each other's lives, lit candles, and exchanged gifts.
I'm not sure I managed to get everybody in one picture or another...
...but I did snap Pam in the small kitchen that produces so much food. (Sorry about the blurry hand that was passing through just as I snapped.)
From left to right, my honorary granddaughter, Julie; Jill, my grandson Ryan's wife; Ryan; and, in purple, my niece, Lara. Down the middle of the picture, much deliciousnesses.
My honorary niece, Karen, with Alan's partner, Olga.
Alan (in the plaid shirt) and Steve, Lara's husband, with more food.
Lara, my sister Debbie, Lara's youngest, Nicole (head only), and John, on host duty.
Alan and Steve have been joined by Samantha and Julie in the living room area.
All four of our under-25s happened to sit on the couch together, so I had to take this picture: Samantha, Ella (Lara's oldest), Nicole (Lara's youngest), and Julie.
Steve and Lara have a third child, Ed, who stayed home with their four dogs. Bruce, Karen's husband, wasn't there, either, because he stayed home with three dogs.
My gifts to my blood relatives -- Samantha, Alan, John, Ryan, Lara, and Debbie -- were albums which I made up as I pruned my more than forty albums as part of down-sizing for a move to an apartment. Figuring out what pictures to keep, what to toss, and who gets the keepers, took me a week and a half of solid work. Not much LJ-ing during those ten days, I'm afraid. So worth the effort, though. They were a surprise and a welcome one.
Another happy celebration. As a family, we're pretty good at holiday. FanSee
As usual, Pam and John hosted the party. We ate lots of food, caught up with each other's lives, lit candles, and exchanged gifts.
I'm not sure I managed to get everybody in one picture or another...
...but I did snap Pam in the small kitchen that produces so much food. (Sorry about the blurry hand that was passing through just as I snapped.)
From left to right, my honorary granddaughter, Julie; Jill, my grandson Ryan's wife; Ryan; and, in purple, my niece, Lara. Down the middle of the picture, much deliciousnesses.
My honorary niece, Karen, with Alan's partner, Olga.
Alan (in the plaid shirt) and Steve, Lara's husband, with more food.
Lara, my sister Debbie, Lara's youngest, Nicole (head only), and John, on host duty.
Alan and Steve have been joined by Samantha and Julie in the living room area.
All four of our under-25s happened to sit on the couch together, so I had to take this picture: Samantha, Ella (Lara's oldest), Nicole (Lara's youngest), and Julie.
Steve and Lara have a third child, Ed, who stayed home with their four dogs. Bruce, Karen's husband, wasn't there, either, because he stayed home with three dogs.
My gifts to my blood relatives -- Samantha, Alan, John, Ryan, Lara, and Debbie -- were albums which I made up as I pruned my more than forty albums as part of down-sizing for a move to an apartment. Figuring out what pictures to keep, what to toss, and who gets the keepers, took me a week and a half of solid work. Not much LJ-ing during those ten days, I'm afraid. So worth the effort, though. They were a surprise and a welcome one.
Another happy celebration. As a family, we're pretty good at holiday. FanSee