Having had a great 8 days photographing in Costa Rica and almost fully recovered from international travel, it was now time to settle down and focus on the Christmas holidays. This meant family, friends, church, opening gifts, food, and an assortment of other odds and ends.

Our first celebration was Saturday, December 17, as we traveled to Memphis to observe gift-giving with Jenny and her kids. It was so much fun to see the excitement they demonstrated as each gift was opened. We had a great visit despite Jenny recovering from a bad cold.

We returned home late afternoon to avoid driving in the dark. Even with all the activities, Kay and I both squeezed in time for packing for our winter in Arizona. Kay continued her social activities (the social butterfly of the family) while I finished medical appointments and church business meetings for the year. An historic arctic front hit Arkansas on Thursday, December 22, as the temperature dropped into the single digits. We had not winterized the motorhome, requiring supplemental heat to keep pipes, pump, and tanks from freezing; our efforts were successful.

Kay and I hosted our second Christmas celebration on Friday, December 23. Our Maumelle and Bauxite kids and grandkids joined us for brunch, followed by gift giving and opening. It was a real joy watching the grands opening their presents; even the adults enjoyed opening theirs! We missed grandkids Kaden, Jordan, and Diana. 

Saturday, December 24, is always the “biggest” day of celebration for us. It began with coffee, and gift exchange between Kay and me. I’m still like a kid as opening presents is always a thrill. Kay was a bit short-changed this year.  And then, the Christmas decorations began coming down—faster than going up. Kay does such an amazing job of decorating the house each Christmas season and takes time to assure that every decoration is in its right place. The decorations were stored and the house reorganized. As is our custom, we attended the candlelight and communion service at church, followed by a great Christmas Eve spaghetti dinner at Jim and Jackie’s. As Christmas even came to an end, we officially declared Christmas to be officially over at the Dunn’s.