Brimming Spirit Day

Well that was a lot of fun!  Christmas turned out to be everything I hoped for, for most of the day.  It did take a decided turn south in the afternoon when the MEF and son departed for her home.  It gets tough when you have to share; luckily her family is close enough that we can share.

The Fully Stocked Christmas Tree Awaiting Our Attentions

My sister had to leave in the pre-dawn hours to work in Rhode Island.  I got up early to bid her farewell and put the turkey into the oven.  She’s following the family tradition of work as a nurse which impacts severely on holidays.  I think we should forbid people from being sick during the holidays; just a thought.  My brother in law drove her down and when I got up I found him sound asleep in his car in the driveway.  He’d forgotten to leave the door unlocked and didn’t want to wake anybody up when he got back.

The Family

The family finally arose at a much statelier hour than in their younger days which allowed us middle aged guys a respite from bleary eyed gift opening.  There was still a lot of fun opening gifts and seeing the surprise and joy of a well meant gift.

In All My Sartorial Splendor

I was blessed with more than I deserved (13 more movies to watch and lots of lounge pants!) and tried to wear every item of clothes I received at once.  My wife was not amused at my daring fashion choices.  Buddy was the star of the morning, finally getting to open the present that squeaked.  He summarily disemboweled the stuffed squirrel in front of everybody and silenced the squeaker.

Buddy Attacking the Squeaker

After the fun of gift opening we adjourned to the kitchen for mimosas and fried dough; another tradition dating back to my mother.  My daughter ably trained by her grandmother has become a mimosa guru while my wife and I tried to capture my mom’s transcendent ability with fried dough.

Buddy and Bailey Helping Open Gifts

By the time this all concluded it was nearly noontime and my son and the MEF were making disturbing motions towards packing up for departure.  I’d hoped they would be able to hang around for Christmas dinner but that was not to be and I more than understood the MEF’s desire to spend some time with her own parents on Christmas; it still hurt saying goodbye to them though.

Son and MEF, While We Had Them

Another highlight of the day was talking to my younger sister.  She’s finally met a guy that deserves and appreciates her.  They were having a great Christmas and were just finishing off their own session of fried dough and mimosas. 

Daughter Ready for Next Bout

I kind of over achieved with the size of the turkey this year.  It refused to give up and severely impacted on the scheduled dinner time which led to some tension with the wife.  It took a full two and half hours longer than I anticipated to finally succumb.  It still tasted great and the delay allowed my sister to return from Rhode Island to join us.

My Son Got T-Shirts To Mark Our November Pub Crawl

She my sister has celiac disease which means she can’t eat anything with gluten (which must taste great because everything without it tastes like cardboard).  For the last few years I’ve always prepared a separate, gluten free turkey for her.  Since the big bird had taken so long to finish, the second turkey wasn’t ready and continued to cook while we sat down to dinner.

Son in Law and Daughter

We were completely stuffed and crawled into the family room for some serious digestive work.  My brother in law popped in his gift – the Red Sox World Series video.  We spent the next couple of hours reliving the miraculous Red Sox season together and moved as little as possible.  We were just about done when someone mentioned the other turkey.  I bolted upright, having completely forgotten about the second bird and literally ran into the kitchen to discover what my inattention had wrought.

My Younger Sister - Happily Making Her Own Christmas Dough

In a Christmas miracle or better yet, a mystery, someone, currently unidentified, had turned the oven off just as the turkey was finished.  It had already cooled so it had thankfully happened at least an hour before.  I suspect my wife had something to do with it.

My Daughter Proving Her Mimosa Credentials

The Keene Friend finally pulled in late in the evening so there was another round of gift giving and sly humorous comments.  He has a number of places he visits on Christmas day where he’s become part of the holiday tradition for several families.  We got him last but kept him overnight.  My sister and her family had to depart later in the evening (something about having to work today).

The Troublesome Turkey Surrendering

The remaining crew settled down once more to watch a movie.  It had already been a long day for the two senior members of the crew and after a couple bottles of demon alcohol we might have dozed off for a while.  The daughter and son in law had a lot of fun pointing out our lack of consciousness but we did rally to see the end of the flick.

My Son in Law Enjoying the Keene Friend's and My Lack of Staying Power
I Apparently Fell Asleep Praying for More

A great day of Christmas traditions, family, recalcitrant turkeys but most of all surrounded by the people I love.  Pretty cool.