End of the year

The end of the year is getting close. We stayed in Israel this year and I think it was the first year I actually enjoyed Christmas Eve here. Of course I missed my family, but it is getting better with the years.
I took a day off, so I could be at home when the kids get home from school and we ate lunch together. We played board games all afternoon, had a delicious, simple dinner and of course the presents had to be opened (mostly by the kids- for us grown ups this is less important).
I actually managed this year to bake loads of cookies, gingerbread, stollen, make hot cacao, hot cider etc...

We have a new Christmas tree. Now that the small olive trees were planted, we could not use them anymore as Christmas trees. My husband made this tree out of bare branches and it looks very nice.

A week before Christmas we went with friends to Nazareth. I haven't been there for years. We went to show the kids the church (Basilica of the Annunciation)- we heard the music from the organ, went to see the nativity and listened to the church bells. It gave some feeling of Christmas which is otherwise a bit absent in the "holy land".

I wish you all a good end of 2017- time to enjoy with your family and friends in peace and good health.