{Christmas Present}

They had me at ‘a Christmas Pageant in the barn loft’. Then I hear the cast will be a terrific group of children who’ve all known each other since birth. What could possibly be better? Oh, the toddlers are baby animals!? Yeppers, it just got better.

The loft was the right amount of chilly. Little people dressed and draped for their roles were adorably wonderful (especially considering they only had one run-through beforehand!). Christmas carols were befittingly woven into the scriptural reading of the Nativity Story and as if it had been rehearsed, the guinea hens chimed in with echoing joyous {cackling} strains from their coop below stage.

Any Christmas pageant worth its weight in gold, frankincense and myrrh must be accompanied by an after-party. Transitioning from the rustic loft to the rustic woodshop couldn’t have been a better choice, in my rustic-loving opinion. Christmas mojitos paired well with choice company, tasty food and simple gift exchanges. No doubt the homemade cider warming on the woodstove was a main attraction.

Festivities making spirits bright and hearts light are hard to top. And friends who feel like family are impossible to replace.