ninascraps:
ho ho ho

OK, because I'm also always curious to what journaling says, I will try and translate:

Christmas Eve 2008.
Already at the beginning of the year, I had my family take a note in their agenda's, that the first Christmas day would be celebrated in our new house, with a nice brunch. Almost a whole year ahead of me, and I was already planning, make lists, AND as a surprise, buy everyone lots of (small) presents. I could already see their faces before me, all surprised and happy, I could hear the Ooooh's and the Aaaah's already sound and I was really re-joying myself to this day.

BUT... on July 29th. my sis got into the hospital for the second time (also in 2006) and until this day (I wrote this on January 9th. 2009), she is still there.

Well, there goes my Christmas Brunch! But I still got those huge amount of little presents for everyone. So on Christmas Eve, I packed them with me and bring them to my sister and her family in the hospital. Of course... there were tears and words like 'you shouldn't have done that', but all in all I got them all excited and with a glow in their eyes and full of expectations, they unwrapped their presents.

I also got one. The most beautiful one...
A smile on my sisters face and gratitude in her eyes, because I was the one that, during this bad time for her and her family, got to give them some Christmas Joy!

A true gift!