The holidays flew by at such a dizzying pace that I hardly had a chance to take any pictures. But what a good time we had! Our daughter Shannon, her husband Mike, and their two dogs stayed with us all the way through Christmas and beyond to the next day.
I did manage to take a picture of our Christmas morning brunch. The pumpkin bread was homemade; the cinnamon roll was not.
On Christmas Eve day, my brother, his wife, and their son came over for a celebration. By gosh, with everyone grouped in our small living room and the coffee table filled with appetizers, it felt like old times. Lots of talking and laughing.
As for COVID…all our guests had had it recently, and they were up-to-date with their vaccinations. We felt as though the odds were in our favor, and as it turned out, they were. None of us caught COVID over the holidays.
Good things sometimes arrive in the mail. From two of my blogging friends, I received two delightful Christmas packages.
The first one came from Judy of New England Garden and Thread. She knows how much I love my home, and she sent me this beautiful calender with a picture of her own home. Her granddaughter did the artwork, and what a wonderful job she did. You can bet that this calendar will never be used to wipe hands or dishes. There is a pocket for a dowel, and I plan to hang it in my office, where I can see it when I work.
The second came from my friend Betsy, who follows my blog but doesn’t have one of her own. She knows I have a Santa collection, and she sent me this delightful duo. The larger one is a candle, which will never be burnt.
Many thanks, Judy and Betsy!
After Christmas, there was a much-needed week of rest. Our daughter Dee, who is staying with us, took a week’s vacation from her job, and we did the same with our work. Except for an errand or two, we stayed home. We also took a week off from our rather stringent low-carb regimen and ate what we wanted. We slept late. We read. We played board games. We watched, among other shows, two seasons of Britain’s Best Home Cooks. In short, we had a wonderful time.
Reflecting back on our staycation, I am both amazed and gratified by how little it takes to entertain us. The term low maintenance really does describe us, and I can’t help but think that if you take pleasure in simple things, then your days are full and happy.
On New Year’s Eve, the three of us—Clif, Dee, and me—had a tasty appetizer night.
We watched Avengers: Endgame and nearly timed it right so that Iron Man snapped his fingers at midnight. (We were off by 30 seconds or so.) Ah, well! The New Year came anyway, a little after Iron Man’s snap of the fingers.
In 2023, I plan to continue blogging once a week, on Monday, unless something comes up and I need to change the day. Occasionally, I might add an extra post.
A very happy New Year to you all. I am so grateful to be part of this blogging community, and I look forward to reading your posts in 2023.
Notes From the Hinterland 
It sounds like you had a lovely holiday. And I’m impressed that you stayed up until midnight on New Year’s Eve/Day… I’m not sure if I’ve ever done that, ha!
We certainly did. We are all night owls, which means staying up until midnight isn’t that hard for us. 😉
Life well-lived, you’ve got in dialed in! 🙂
Thank you, thank you! Such kind words.
Yea for having our priorities straight!
Yes, yes! Many thanks.
Hi, Laurie – I agree with Eliza — a life very well lived. You definitely have your priorites straight. Wishing you a wonderful 2023!
Thank you, thank you! And a wonderful 2023 to you and yours.
What a beautiful set of gifts, and family time! Wishing all good things to come in 2023!
Thanks, Lavinia! I hope 2023 is a good year for you and yours.
Your holiday was my kind of holiday. I especially love the week between Christmas and New Years and find I can relax and enjoy it all. The food looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Thanks, Linda! I, too, love that time.
Low maintenance is good, Laurie. How draining it is to have to entertain somebody all the time! One of the first things I taught Little Domer was how to entertain himself and to this day, he’s such a perfect “houseguest” because he doesn’t demand to always be on the GO! That, and the fact that we get along so well, made our holidays extra-special.
You bet! What a gift you gave your son. To be able to entertain yourself is such a good thing. Also, wonderful to read how you get along.
Sounds like a lovely family time, and restful too. My holidays were a whole lot more stressful, about which I’ll be blogging when I recover. Happy New Year to you and your family!
It was a lovely time. Sorry to read that yours was stressful.
How lovely and cosy your festive time sounds. Happy Healthy Creative 2023 full of the good things.
We had a wonderful time! And a happy, healthy, creative 2023 to you as well.
All celebrations sound wonderful to me. Family is what it is all about.
Absolutely!
All the best for 2023! Sounds like you had a good Christmas and New Year.
Many thanks! Best Christmas since the pandemic started.
Here’s to a flavorful and fulfilling 2023!
Hear, hear!
Wishing you all a wonderful 2023!
Thanks, Jodie! The same to you and yours.
❤
Low maintenance is the way to go, easy on yourself and on the planet. I hope that you have a fruitful and productive 2023.
You bet! Well put.
I’m glad you liked the calendar. 🙂 Your staycation sounds good to me. I’m going to adopt ‘low maintenance to describe my husband and I because it sounds better than ‘boring.’ 🙂 Healthy and happy 2023 to you and Clif and family.
I love that calendar! Thanks so much for sending it to me. And it seems to me that taking delight in everyday life is a gift.
Sometimes just staying home and not doing much is what the doctor ordered. Maybe just eating, sleeping, walking, conversing.
For this homebody, home is best.
Hoping for you to have a wonderful 2023. The food looks delicious.
Thanks, Mags! Hope 2023 is a great year for you.
Thank you, Laurie.
A lovely time you all spent together 🙂
It certainly was!
I do enjoy the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and you clearly spent it well. I’m so glad that you had a relaxed time with family — and plenty of good snacks to go with that sleep-until-you-want routine! Here’s to a healthy and happy 2023!
That week between is a little gem. And I feel the same way about January, which except for the snow, is a wonderfully quiet time in Maine.
An uplifting post this is: having family around is the best. Your Christmas / New Year break sounds great. I am always glad when a post from you pops up in the Reader and I am looking forward to reading more.
Thank you so very much for the kind words. I feel exactly the same way about your posts.
I agree with you completely (as have many who commented) that keeping things simple and enjoying the small pleasures of life is the perfect way to spent a holiday. This was always my mother’s mantra too, and she set a good example for us in that way.
Thanks, Gerrie! Sometimes Mother did know best.
I reckon your wonderful staycation means you have your priorities right. It all sounds perfect!
Many thanks! We had such a good time.
Lovely family time, Laurie. Happy 2023.
Thanks, Rupali! And a happy 2023 to you.
I am pleased you had such a good time. We have a few of those candles that will never be lit.
Thanks, Derrick! I couldn’t bear to watch that jolly face crumple in on itself.
Looks like a fine time was had by all. I look forward to reading more about what you’re getting up to during 2023!
A-w-w-w, thanks so much!
Happy 2023, Laurie. Cheers to the holiday time with family and friends. You embrace the spirit of the season. Small gathering are wonderful to close a year. On to the new year with hopes of encountering much goodness.
Thanks so much for the good wishes. I wish the same for you and yours.
Happy 2023, Laurie. It sounds like a beautiful holiday with just the right mix of all the good things in life. 🙂
Thanks, Robin! It certainly was.
How lovely your Christmas was !I wish you a super 2023 ! I hope you didn’t have problems with that snowbomb we heared about !
Thanks, Gwen! We personally didn’t have problems, but our area did. Lots of people lost their power.
I heard on tv that many people in the North were stuck in airports and that there were several death’s. Glad to hear you were ok. It must have been very hard for many people.
Oh, yes! We were very lucky.
Glad you had a good Christmas and holiday time. Best to you in this new year.
Many thanks! And the same to you and yours.
It sounds like you had a blissful staycation and festive season Laurie, truly one to treasure, and such lovely gifts from your blogging friends too 🧡 Wishing you, Clif and all the family a blessed and joyful 2023 💖✨ xxx
A wonderful holiday! One of the best. A very happy New Year to you and yours.
Such wonderful holidays and staycation and thank god for the simple things!!🙂
Yes, yes! How dreary life would be without them.
It sounds like the perfect holidays, Laurie, and I’m so glad for you.
Best wishes for good health, happiness, and peace in the new year for you and your loved ones.
Tanja
The holidays were indeed wonderful! A happy New Year to you and yours.
Thank you.
It sounds like you had a great holiday season and happy new year’s eve. We’re pretty low maintenance too, Laurie, and we also don’t burn our pretty candles. Lol. Have a wonderful 2023!
Oh, thank you! Glad to read I am not the only one who doesn’t burn pretty candles.
Ha ha. Mine eventually get covered with dust and spiderwebs. 🙂
Happy New Year. I have my 2023 Library calendar up. The year is already pretty clutter up into June. 😘 – Oscar
Oh, goodness! Pretty soon you will be wondering how you ever had time for a job. 😉
Only like the last 8 months…
That sounds like a wonderful break from routine and a joyous gathering of family. I wish you a happy, healthy and interesting 2023. What will you be working on now The Great Library books are done?
Many thanks and the same to you and yours. My new book is called Darcy Dansereau, and it’s a coming-of-age story of a young Franco-American, a budding writer who must come to terms with her ethnic heritage. I’ve just begun the process of charting the characters, always very enjoyable for me. Naturally, there will be folderol in the novel because I can’t seem to help myself. 😉 Thanks so much for asking.
I shall look forward to hearing more as you get into it. Enjoy!
What a grand time! You know how to lived life! Blessings to you in the new year. I always love your posts. x michele
Thanks so much, Michele. I think we both share a love of family and simple pleasures.
Happy New Year, Laurie. I must remember the idea of timing a movie to finish at midnight. I’m impressed. I’m so happy to read that you’ve had a pleasant holiday season with family, complete with cozy gatherings and delicious food, not to mention charming gifts from your tribe. I look forward to your Monday posts this year.
Thank you, thank you!