December 25, 2011
Over the years, we have established many traditions to celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Savior Jesus. Traditions included arranging the nativity set on the mantle, going on a cold winter's day to buy a tree and wreath, hanging stockings that my (Joyce) mother made us 30 and 40 years ago, putting the tree up while carols played in the background and maybe a fire burned in the fireplace, going to church on Christmas Eve, and spending Christmas Day with family or friends. Obviously, this year was going to be different.
First, this was the view from the dock near the bow of the boat. There would be no need for a fire to burn in the fireplace, and of course, there was no fireplace in the boat.
In a boat the size of Barefoot, there is no room for a tree, and there really isn't a place to 'stand' a tree. So, before we left the marina in Bradenton, we bought a Walgreens wreath to hold our ornaments. We had brought a small box of ornaments from home (our criteria when choosing them was that they all had to be unbreakable and relatively small). Here is our wreath with most of the ornaments that we brought and some that were added this year by some of my dear friends who are also breast cancer survivors and living life to the fullest. The angels in the next picture are also gifts from this group of friends.
One of our big regrets was that we didn't have a nativity set. We had planned to buy a small one (the one we use at home is too large and fragile), but in the busyness of getting ready to leave, we never went to a store that carried them. I had brought this plaque, which I had displayed in my office for several years, and we used this along with the angels to show that we know and cherish the true meaning of Christmas.
And, there were a few extra ornaments that we could hang around the main cabin of the boat.
One thing that was a priority was to find a church with a Christmas Eve service. The day we arrived in Everglades City, Tom walked around town and found that the Community Church, which was only a couple blocks from the Rod and Gun Club (where we are docked) would have a service at 7:00. The church was packed that night, and we really enjoyed the service and the pastor's message about receiving the gift of a relationship with God.
And, even though we didn't have our own nativity set, the church shared theirs with us.
Other times when we had been out of town for holidays, it has seemed a bit strange, so we didn't know quite what to expect this year. But, docked at the Rod and Gun Club in Everglades City was a wonderful Christmas celebration.
Joyce
S/V Barefoot
Pineland, FL
(Currently docked Everglades City, Collier County, FL)
http://g.co/maps/vneq4
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