Scrapbooking Christmas in February

Christmas 2011 with Porters and Hesses

Ok, so it took me more than a day to get back to this. There were some cute pre-Christmas scrapbook pages I did with lace doilies that I thought about posting, but I never got around to it. However, this page is also posted on my friend Debbi's Color Stories Inspiration website. She reveals a new color scheme and creativity prompts every Friday afternoon. I had started this layout Friday morning, but realized as I thought about thought about what I might contribute to the Color Stories, that this layout had the right colors and had room for a few of the creativity prompts.

As one of my most faithful blog readers knows, this is part of my husband Don's family. We do the routine of back and forth between two families at Christmas, some years spending it at my parents, some years with his. With this family living more than two hours away, and mine living more than four hours away, it usually is a one or the other deal. It was supposed to have been the year we spent with my parents, but they encouraged us to visit my mother-in-law instead, as we would be seeing them on Dec. 29 when they rented a beach condo for New Years.

This year, Don talked his sister Nancy into hosting the family gathering. She even made most of the side dishes, and Kent had a collection of Hess wines. (We aren't sure how he's related to the winemaker.) We brought the turkey.

Hosting the family gathering is a big deal for Nancy. She normally prefers to do Christmas with just her husband Kent, children Sherman and Kristan and now, their families. But Kristan saw Don's side of it, that Christmas is more fun with grandmas, aunts and uncles. Both of her grandmas came, one each (Don and me) of her aunts and uncles. She also brought her boyfriend Jim.

There is a back story to this photo. Which is interesting, because "back story" is one of Color Stories' prompts on the jounaling side. I haven't really shared the back story with anyone who wasn't there at Christmas, and we all know it. But I know my faithful reader is going to ask "Where is Eddie?"

For those of you who don't know, Eddie is Kristan's 1-year-old son. (My faithful reader is my stepdaughter in Colorado, Kristan's cousin.) Eddie wasn't there, he was at his father's house. Kristan and Eddie (father and son share a name) were together for several years, long enough to create Little Eddie and celebrate his first birthday together. But now, for the rest of his parents' life, Little Eddie will be shuffled between them on holidays, or, when he grows up, will decide how to do that balancing act on his own. Good thing, at least for now, both parents live in the same small town.

My faithful reader may also wonder where her Uncle David was. He wasn't there either, and that's only because of a family feud. David lives in the same small town as the rest of them, but hasn't spoken directly to his sister and brother-in-law since shortly after Eddie was born. David had been renting a house at cheap family rates from Nancy and Kent for about nine years. When Kristan was pregnant, they advised David they wanted him to move out, so Kristan and the baby could live there. I'm not taking any sides on this, but David and Nancy don't see eye-to-eye on the decision.

My mother-in-law, however, is taking David's side. And she was definitely sad on Christmas Day that she could not spend more of it with David. She did see him at church, but that's all.

My faithful reader may also wonder where her cousin Sherman was. He is newlywed, and was spending the day with his wife's family. He did get to see his parents, sister and nephew earlier in the day. I am sure we were all happy for Sherman.

This year, Don will be spending Easter with his wife's family, for the first time in our marriage. My family has its weaknesses too -one of them making Christmas and Easter all about family - but family gatherings are less complicated at the Van Curen household and I'm looking forward to a holiday without so many complications.