We also had all 3 of our children here on Christmas....AND our new daughter-in-law. It was wonderful and I must say that having a daughter-in-law is a great thing. I am happy to say that I don't have any of those awful 'mother-in-law' feelings that I have heard and read about! Another female in the family is great for me.
Madeline bought matching pjs for Mom, Ashley, herself and me. We got a kick out of wearing our matching pjs on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. It was a sea of red plaid and I think it made everyone smile! Madeline always pulls out the old family videos during the holidays and we love watching them. When she was little, Madeline and I often had matching pjs or matching Christmas sweaters. It is one of those things that girls just wanna do! I was glad that Madeline decided you are never too old for this and brought back the tradition. It was a great year for it with the addition of Mom and Ashley. I hope each year we will all pull out our pjs and strut our stuff!
Not only did I have the pleasure of having all my kids, my husband, Mom and Ashley.....Bob and Porter flew in on Christmas afternoon and we got to enjoy them too! It was a first for them to spend part of their Christmas in Florida, and I think it was fun for everyone. Porter always seems to have fun and he always brightens things up for everyone with his laughter and giggles.
To add to my pleasure of being surrounded by loved ones, Eric was home for the holidays and on Christmas evening he came over and so did his parents. I loved having the whole crew in my house! What seems like chaos and work to some is really just me living life and loving every minute of it.
Christmas night after we ate brunswick stew, chili, Mexican corn bread and my famous ham "thingies," we all went out in the back yard to christen Jim's Christmas gift....a portable fire pit. It was actually a cool evening by Florida standards, so it was fun for everyone to sit out in the dark by the fire pit and make their own dessert.....s'mores!
Jim was a bit confused on Christmas morning as he unwrapped his packages. First, a bag of marshmallows. Later, a box of graham crackers. Then a package of Hershey bars. More marshmallows. More chocolate. A package of kindling wood. Some Duraflame logs. A small bundle of firewood. And finally, we brought the new firepit in! It was nice of him to share his gifts with everyone. We enjoyed it more than one time during the holidays. A firepit is a great gathering place and a good time for conversation, 'what if' games, wedding planning, laughter, ghost stories and just plain silliness! I can definitely see Jim's gift getting a lot of use around here.
Not only does Christmas bring families and friends together, it means food. Lots of food. I love everything about this....planning menus, making shopping lists, grocery shopping, putting the groceries away (not so much!), setting tables, cooking, serving, etc. Mom always thinks it is too much work, and she is right. But I am a hard worker and this is work that is pleasurable to me.
The night Joseph and Ashley arrived, we had lasagne, meatballs and sausages, caesar salad, and garlic bread. A cook's greatest pleasure is seeing everyone enjoy the food. Joseph couldn't get enough and went on and on about how great the dinner was! Ashley wants my recipe. I don't actually have a recipe, but I can tell her how I do it. I know her husband would love for her to make this meal for him sometime. We've all heard from our husbands that he wishes we'd make something for him 'just like his mother did!' I think at least Ashley will be receptive to this.
We followed this meal with a little 'surprise' for Joe and Ashley. Since we weren't with them when they got married, we had a little minature wedding cake for them with a cake cutting and champagne toast! It was nice to celebrate this happy occasion with them.
Not only did we go to a different service, we came home and ate pick-up foods. I usually do our traditional Christmas dinner, but it is late and no one seems hungry enough. I decided to do this dinner on the 26th when Bob and Porter would be there and Joe and Ashley would still be here. That way we would have everyone. So on Christmas Eve, we had shrimp, mussels, cheese and crackers, seafood spread, spinach dip in a bread bowl, and some other pick up foods. It was perfect and easy. No one went to bed too stuffed.
Our day-after-Christmas-Christmas-dinner was fun. We had been used to casual dining, but this meal was served in the dining room with candlelight and Christmas china. I fixed a spiral ham with a special mustard dipping sauce that Porter loved. I made green bean casserole, which is my favorite. I only make it at Christmas time because Jim and Madeline don't really care for it. I thought it would be a dish only for me, but I thought wrong. When Joseph went back for seconds, there was no more! Apparently Jim and Madeline are in the minority. Eric, Bob, Jimmy, Joseph, Ashley, Porter and I all love it. We also had pineapple casserole with cheddar cheese on top. This is another dish I love that I only make at Christmas time. We had rolls and broccoli and topped the meal off with fresh blueberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream.
The week ended with Bob treating us all to a delicious dinner at Kobe
Japanese Steak House. I had announced earlier that day that I was off duty in the kitchen! We all love the hibachi cooking and it was a real treat.
All of this explains why I am now best friends with My Fitness Pal....a calorie and exercise tracker. It was worth it, but I will have to work hard to get rid of a s'more or too!
Gifts are always fun. I think opening gifts is a highlight for us. Madeline and I love to get into it and we like to be creative with our gift giving. Jim got tickets for me to see "Hair" at Ruth Eckerd Hall. I always love getting tickets, and although I have the music for "Hair" memorized, I have never seen it. For a theater lover like me, that is unusual! So, I look forward to a date night in April....
Jimmy helped Mom with her scratch-off lottery tickets. Everyone gets these in their stockings each year. Mom was excited...she said it was her first lottery ticket ever! Unfortunately, there were no big winners in my living room, but it was fun to scratch them off with a small glimmer of hope!
Joseph painted a picture for me. I saw it and immediately thought it was a version of the Madonna and Child. He actually hadn't intended that, but he could 'get' why I thought that. Although it is abstract, I don't think I can view it in any other way. I can't wait to hang it in my little art gallery. I am about to run out of wall space. Joseph has such talent.
Madeline got a new iphone. It was her first iphone. Eric got one too. So did Porter. Needless to say, Siri got a workout for a few days!
All of my gifts were wonderful and special, but I have to mention just one more. It is a book entitled "I Could Pee on This and other poems by cats." I think everyone knows I am a crazy cat lady, so when Porter gave me this book, I just laughed out loud. The day after Christmas was rainy and we were all just sitting around the family room for a while and Madeline and Porter were making a gingerbread house when I decided it was a good time to read this book aloud to everyone. I laughed until I cried. It is a bit weird how much I could relate to these poems.....
You would think this house was full of children because we play so much. Our "baby" is 17 year old Porter! But we still managed to laugh as we watched Madeline, Eric and Porter Wii dance. It is a sight to behold! Madeline pulled out the old standard Wii Dance and we delighted to Porter and Eric dancing to Beyonce's 'Crazy in Love.' That will always remain a classic in my mind. Madeline also got Wii Country Dance and Wii Dance 4 for Christmas....lots of new songs and dance moves! We played Christmas trivia and learned a lot of new Christmas facts. I learned 2 new games: Flux and Dutch Blitz. Both games were fun despite the fact that I lost miserably at both. I like to win games, so I am just warning my opponents that next time around I plan some serious revenge. Just saying.
I am about to finish taking down the decorations. This is always a hard and sad thing for me. I love to get my house back in order, but Christmas ending is sort of sad. I miss having a houseful of people and I miss all the laughter and happiness that comes with it. This year as I take down the decorations I am separating some and packing them in boxes, sealed and labeled with Madeline's name. I am passing on some of these things for her to use when she and Eric start their new life together and start their own new traditions. I hope as she unpacks these boxes and sees the ornaments and decorations inside she will feel some of the wonderment and excitement that I have always had during this time of year. I will be happy to pass the torch and I know Madeline will be great at making the holidays special in her own home.
And memories will be made of this.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
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