All is Bright ... Cold and Bright

THE DAY dawned cold and clear, and although there was no new bicycle left under the tree by the Mystery Man in Red, a type-2 if I ever saw one, there was a beautiful sunrise and sunshine all day long.
Last night, Christmas Eve, my family came over for a visit and gift opening and it was wonderful. All three of my children were there and four granddaughters. Two sisters and two brothers. The Mister kept the fire going and served up the ham. We had sweet potatoes that were finished off (glory be!) and an "Olive Garden" salad, green beans and cubed squash cooked together in "buttttterrrrr," as Julia Child would say. (The Mister did an impressive impression of her rhapsodizing on the cubed dairy product when we were alone earlier in the day, but could not be coaxed to duplicate his performance for company that evening!)
One of the best presents I got was the company of Jim and Kay, friends for a long time. They live in Montana now. My brain was offline and my hands were busy with food so I forgot to take a picture of us all together. It was Kay's birthday Dec. 24th and it's the first time I remember the two of us being together for it.
Today my sister visited and we had two cups of tea, treats our other sister baked with her own two hands, and then we went for a walk in the sunshine. We could not help remembering our beloved mother, who loved the holidays and family so. We also could not help shedding a few tears, missing her physical presence. We talked about Italy! A 12-day cruise down the coast of Italy - the Amalfi Coast! - and then to Venice and Rome. Oh, this would so be the gift of a lifetime! Must work on this, and work hard.
I leave you with this photo from our neighborhood. We live on the most lit up street in town, I think - femminismo