I had the BEST Christmas this year. Nothing fancy--in fact, one of the most sweet and simple I can remember. For me, Christmas stretches clear across the month of December, with one event after another. Big parties, intimate gatherings, church and groups and friends and
family. This year, time and time again, I was overwhelmed with gifts awash in generosity and thoughtfulness. Like--everything seemed to be so focused on me. And, while I get that such a statement can sound incredibly superficial, what I want to convey is the fact that so many of my gifts spoke straight to my heart. I've never been a materialistic person--and this year brought no exception--but I will always remember 2017 as being the Christmas when every single gift came nestled in value, wrapped in thought, given with love.
And so, rather than a single list in which all my gifts could get lost, I'm going to keep the gratitude of Christmas going all year long, featuring my gifts and the stories behind them, the story that followed, and the hope of the stories yet to come.
My Christmas Season always kicks off with my Writers Group Christmas party, a festive time of book exchange and sweet fellowship before taking our month-long winter break. This year, unbeknownst to me, several of my writer friends conspired to contact the artist who created the beautiful cover for my Loving Luther novel, and buy the original oil painting photographed for the book. To say I was overwhelmed with surprise and gratitude is such an
understatement. I was speechless for a solid minute, which is unusual for me! This painting will be the focal point of my writing office, with a complete overhaul in its honor. It is beautiful, and I cannot even imagine possessing such a gift--to be able to create such depth and dimension on a blank canvas. Incredible!
My Christmas Season ends on Christmas Eve, an intimate family gathering. Just us and the kids. We do a small exchange and eat terrible party food and just hang out. My boys are all in college now, and they have one friend who is an unofficial Pittman--Zach, a successful tattoo artist, who is repsonible for the fact that I cannot see an inch of empty skin on either of my sons' legs! We love Zach, and he loves us...and for Christmas he designed a Little Luther tattoo for me, presenting the design on a little 4x6 canvas. Again, I was stunned. Speechless.
I love these two artists opening and closing my Christmas.