Last week I had a few ladies from church over for a Christmas lunch at my house. Wow, I can hardly believe that was just last week - so much has happened since then! This idea had been simmering in my head for quite a while so I decided to go for it. In total there were 9 women invited -- everyone was connected to me somehow through visiting teaching -- and 6 were able to attend (plus 1 little lady).
I loved the opportunity to set the table all pretty. The Christmas dishes are a hand-me-down from my mom. I found the gold chevron paper placemats at a local boutique. And gold Christmas crackers were picked up from Target. It was all very easy to put together.
The bonus of hosting a lunch (or dinner) at your home in December is that your house is already primped and pretty for Christmas! So, not a whole lot extra has to be done. Make the food, sweep the floors, set the table.
We served ham and swiss rolls, caprese skewers, roasted red pepper dip with sourdough bread & veggies, and salad. I found this amazing recipe for crockpot hot chocolate so I had to whip up a batch. It did not disappoint.
I also sent everyone home with a bottle of my homemade vanilla.
We had a great lunch! We visited, laughed, and told jokes & played charades from our Christmas crackers. Then I had them all gather in the family room so I could share a spiritual/Christmas thought. This year I purchased the book Christmas from Heaven
So I showed this clip to the women. It is such a touching story, with powerful music and theatrical presentation, and Tom Brokaw's words to pull it all together. It gives me goosebumps!
The over-arching theme or moral of the story was: From small things, come big things.
We can spread love and cheer and lift others' hearts . . . no matter how small the gift. I love that message.
