Christmas Day -At Sea

Wreath on our door

What a morning! Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!

We got up early since our cabin was Christmas Central.  We had ordered lots of pastries, coffee and juice so everybody could have something to eat. We were dressed and ready when the food was delivered. Almost immediately Ella and Christopher arrived. Santa had spread the stockings out on the long counter under the window and we had placed our presents under the small tree. Looked very festive.

Food was consumed and stockings were opened. Christopher liked his shark sunglasses. He finally hung the flashing rings that Kathryn and Ella received from his glasses and made quite a sight. After several trip to the Lido with food being brought down to our cabin, everybody at last seemed to have enough nourishment to sustain them through the day.

Ella had created a dress with wood block prints and Christopher had decorated a shirt. Here are the front and the back views.  

By the time all had been unwrapped and the food had been consumed our cabin was a wreck. Our cabin Stewards- Nurdin and Supry- arrived and hauled away the dishes. The Cheeks went to the Theater to see Santa and we went to the Neptune Lounge to get out of the room. Nurdin came and found us in the lounge to say it was all cleaned. Great Service!!!!

The Cruise Director kept making announcements tracking the arrival of Santa onto the MS Ryndam. Tried to be funny but was pretty hokey. Christopher thought at first it was a serious announcement about a storm because Eric, the Cruise Director, began talking about a radar sighting of something big and red.  The kids got gifts from Santa and families got their pictures made with the jolly old elf.

We have had a lazy day. Kids in the pool, some lunch and then to the HAL Club. Kathryn and Will were off to shop in the shops onboard. Jim and I went to lunch and then read and watched the sea go by.

Going for an earlier dinner tonight.

As this Christmas Day comes to a close we are reminded of family and friends in other places celebrating- Bradenton, Cornelius, Morganton, Charlotte, Rochester, Athens, Alexandria, Berkeley and more. God's blessings are so rich- as we rejoice in the healthy birth of Matt (my nephew) and his wife, Lynn Lyon's daughter Sienna yesterday. God's presence and strength also surround those for whom this time is a time of loss as we think about a friend whose husband suddenly died. Each day is precious! Each family member and each friend is remembered and loved. So we say like Tiny Tim "God Bless Us Everyone."