Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve

Happy Friday! We made it to December 21 without the world ending. Those prankster Mayans.

Any fun weekend plans? Ours kicked off yesterday (if you count Thursday as a little pre-weekend)... I went up to my mom's and made seven different kinds of Christmas cookies with my siblings all day. We made the classics (for us, anyway): sugar cookies, chocolate chip walnut, orange glazed, cranberry white chocolate chip, ginger, raspberry jam thumbprints, and the family favorite -- chocolate blossoms. Last night we visited the Downtown Holiday Market in DC with friends after a warm dinner of pho (my first time trying it... and Violet's. She downed that stuff like it was candy). Tomorrow we get to catch up with my long-lost brother who's home from college for the holidays, and then before we know it, it'll be Christmas Eve, which brings a buttload of presents to wrap because traditionally, I leave wrapping for Christmas Eve. In between all that, we'll be wishing real hard that this dratted rain will somehow turn into snow before the 25th. Or just sometime before March. We're not that picky.

On serious note, whatever you end up doing this weekend, take some time to love on your close friends and family. A week ago today, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary occurred. Those sweet children and their families are very much on my mind, especially as the holidays approach... instead of wrapping and cookies this weekend, they're facing the task of burying their 6- and 7-year-olds. I know... it's such a harsh reality. But I really feel that, even as the headlines grow smaller, we should continue offering our support and love. If you pray, pray for them.