I Believe in Love, Music and Joy

The Sunday Scribblings prompt is "I believe..."

I have done less scribbling than picture-posting this time around. I am feeling euphoric about our wonderful Christmas yesterday, and these photos seem to me to be an integral part of it that I want to share with everyone.

How can I not believe in the special magic worked at Christmas? This family is one to which music is a special (and frequent and practically continuous) joy. But it is love that ties it all together.

Above are my son Otto and his sweet wife Kristin at a special moment on Christmas morning. They are both accomplished musicians with experience on varied instruments, but the ones that are seldom out of their hands are Otto's concertina and Kristin's violin. Hundreds of students have profited by Kristin's music teaching and have caught her infectious enthusiasm.

Above: Our granddaughter Anna gives her father a hug. She feels especially lucky to have arrived yesterday five days after she was expected, having been stranded in New York by flight cancellations. She had spent the semester in England, so this is the first time they have seen each other since September. Sharing the sofa is my husband, Otto, unwrapping a gift that Santa Claus (looking remarkably like Anna) has just given him.

Below: An accordion was just what Anna had been wanting to add to her musical repertoire. Here her father gives her a few pointers.



Above: And now back to the instrument she, like her mother, loves and plays most often. In the background her father is accompanying her on his concertina. Several of the pieces they are playing are of Anna's own composition.

Above: Kristin joins them in marvelously spontaneous, soaring improvisations to compliment the music in progress.

Above: Ocean and his Daddy Joe and Mama April arrive and Ocean unwraps his first gift, a bicycle horn for his bicycle. His bicycle, on which he has become proficient, is a real one but without pedals. Ocean immediately discovered that the bicycle horn made a satisfyingly loud sound. He called it his "trumpet", and the family ensemble played pieces to which he could join his rhythmic beeping.

Below: When Ocean discovered that the ensemble would come to an abrupt stop if he ceased to beep, he was overcome with laughter as he started and stopped the music.

Below: Ocean's mother April watches the concert.

And should I mention that we feasted on smoked black cod and salmon (contributed by Joe and April) with a zillion other delicious fixings?

I hope you all are enjoying this most joyous of seasons!