I think the only major holiday we didn't celebrate this year was Kwanzaa...and I'm pretty sure Trixie celebrated it at school.
First, for Solstice, we did a quiet candle-lighting ritual after the kids were in bed. No gifts, no kid involvement yet, but it was a nice evening just the same.
Next, Christmas. Christmas Eve we drove out to cousins Gracie and Jim Dong's family gathering in NJ. It was nice to see everyone, and eat loads of food. Despite the "no presents -- except for grab-bag" edict, the tree was buried in gifts.
We enjoyed catching up with cousins we don't see often, as well as Wally and Amanda, whom we do. Trixie was the only child there, but as cousin Stacy is 7 months along, that won't be the case next year! She most enjoyed playing with Aunt Amanda and going to see what the very old and creaky dog, Galahad, was doing (generally it was: Lying on the floor under the food table hoping for scraps).
We stayed longer than we'd thought and got home at 11 pm. Then we started elfing for Christmas morning here; putting out gifts under the tree, setting up stockings, wrapping last-minute stuff. Then Trixie started her wake-ups. Josh got to sleep around 3am; I was out at 1 before Bailey woke me up at 4. Sleep? What is this thing you call sleep?
Josh took Trixie with him when he went to pick up Rachel and I enjoyed a quiet hour feeding Bailey while the Yule Log played on Channel 11, looking at the lights on our very nice tree and listening to "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Lovely. Then he got back with the girls and all hell broke loose.
Trixie thoroughly enjoyed opening presents, though we had to slow her down and point her to the ones meant for her. Restraint is a hard thing for a two-year-old. She immediately spread all the toys across the floor and went nuts. I was pleased, though, that she never did try to pull the tree over, or do much more than try to touch the high-hat cymbals ornament Amy gave us. Of course, I didn't put any of the breakable ornaments on, just in case...
I made an easy Christmas dinner: pork roast with some fried apples, mashed potatoes and veggies with ice cream for dessert. I may never mess around with turkeys again -- very fast and easy to cook.
Boxing Day we got into the car and drove up to WP to see Dad and Grandma and introduce Bailey. Grandma had warned us it was cold in her house, and I'm glad she did, as we brought fleece blankets and a sleeping bag for Trixie. (She's really too big for the portable playpen any more.) Josh was sick, so I drove while he and the kids slept in back -- a very uneventful trip, unlike our trip home.
They had waited to open presents until we were there so we had another bout of gift-opening (more excitement from Trixie). We ate left-over turkey and fixings (mmm...mashed potatoes...) and Trixie climbed up and down the carpeted stairs or played with her "baby." The next day we took Trixie sledding for the first time, on the new purple saucer we'd given her. She loved it until she'd fallen down in the snow enough times and gotten cold.
Our trip home involved not enough napping by Trixie, a dead battery in Stroudsburg, waiting for AAA, a trip to Sears for new battery and installation, and disrupted sleep patterns for all and sundry that night when we did get home after 9 hours on the road.
The next day Ellin and Ted came over and we had, yes, a third session of gift-opening. Trixie is now asking "Where are MY presents?" every day, because, of course, she's had constant presents for the last week.
New Year's Eve we stayed home. I propped my eyelids open until 12 and went to sleep at 12:05. New Year's Day we went to brunch at Stacey's place downstairs (very convenient!) and then to a Hanukah (last night) dinner at our friends' house. They had presents for all the kids (yes, Trixie, MORE presents!) but more importantly, great latkes, chicken and booze for the parents, and all in walkable distance from home.
We are offically holidayed out.
Posted by designatedgirl at January 3, 2006 03:36 PMLove it!!
Posted by: newnewwilly at February 13, 2006 01:15 AM