Mine was filled with family. An absolutely stellar day.
We had the traditional Christmas Eve Chinese dinner. When my youngest daughter realized what the cost of buying a pre-made dinner would be, she vetoed that, and put a lot of energy and time into re-creating the meal herself. Fortunately, she is an experienced Chinese short-order cook, and was able to make sweet buns, pot stickers, and orange chicken for the whole crew. Mazel tov to her! (I use that traditional Jewish phrase, both because she and my other children are part Ashkenazi, according to 23 and Me, but also because eating Chinese food is a tradition in many Jewish families. It appears that, in many cities, it was the only cuisine available that close to Christmas).
The kids really got into the fun, enjoying tearing apart the gift wrapping, eating the food, and playing with cousins. The older teens were great, making sure that the kids were safe and felt fully part of the day.
The following day, husband, myself, and daughter attended an early mass (not TOO early – we enjoyed having the leisure to sleep in). The doggo began going outside for more than the barest seconds, as the temps improved from the brutal cold freeze. I have to admit, my dog is a horrible sissy, only dashing outside long enough to perform his absolutely necessary business. Can’t really blame him – what with the single digit temperatures and the wind chill, it felt like 50 below.
We finished all the wrapping. My daughter was racing to finish her presents of hand-knitted caps for the family, I had delayed that last step for those I wasn’t going to see until Christmas Day, and, well, we had headed to bed early Christmas Eve. Just worn out from last minute errands.
A great breakfast after church, prepared by my husband. It is nice to have him around, as he is a practiced and inspired cook. Well, that, and the fact that I just like having him here.
We start returning to normal tomorrow. My daughter returns to her home in PA, many of the adults return to work, and we begin preparing for the insulation installation on Friday. We bit the bullet in October, and – given the brutally frigid weather of last week – are so glad we did. The power outage of Friday reminded me why weather-proofing your house is NOT a negotiable, but a necessity. With a turn of the century home, improving its R values is critical.
I hope everyone had the opportunity to be with loved ones over the holidays, whether related or self-imposed.
