Christmas
December 23, - December 26, 2005
Friday Amanda has several house-calls to do and afternoon becomes a dad and Madeline shopping event. First a trip to Dodge Grain for food for the ducks and rabbits, and then we are off to the mall to shop for Mom and to get an outfit for Christmas. It is important together time for Madeleine and I.
We circle the mall several times. The gifts for Mom are easy, the outfit for Madeleine takes more intense shopping. And then there is the stop at the Pet shop to pet the puppies and other detours. The clothes purchased, the last thing to buy is a pair of shoes. The pants are long and require a heal. None of the stores have anything that looks good except for a store with dressy cowboy boots. That is what she wants. At first Dad says no. But they aren’t that expensive, they are on sale, they look better than anything else we have seen, she really wants them, and it is Christmas. I leave the mall with a smiling daughter and Cowboy Boots.
Saturday, Amanda has another house call and we devote the day to wrapping gifts and other chores. Madeleine and I got to midnight mass that is now held at 10:30 with a choir concert starting at 9:45. Home at 11:45, Madeleine is quickly asleep and so are we.
Although she is quickly developing into a young woman, Madeleine is still a child. She wakes up at 4:30 am and can’t go back to sleep. At 5:30 she crawls into bed with us. After a half hour of fidgeting we send her back to her room and tell her to wait until 7:00.
Stockings, breakfast and then gifts – all a great success. Then we dress and head over to my sister’s for Christmas dinner with my late mother’s second family: my stepfather, two sisters, brothers-in-law, a brother, a sister-in-law, two nephews and four nieces. We haven’t all been together in a while and this is my first time in my sister’s new home. It is Christmas and the 3-year-old twins are having a wonderful time. Everyone likes their presents. It could not have been better. Finally late afternoon we stop by the house to let the dogs out and then head down to Cambridge for an annual party with friends. More turkey, lots of good talk, a chance to relax. We get home late and sleep late – Madeleine doesn’t wake up until 10:45 this time.
Now it is off to my step-mother’s house for “Christmas” with my late father’s second family: my step mother, two sisters, two brother’s in law, two nephews and three nieces (all combined I have a large family – Amanda has but one sister, brother-in-law and nephew). We start by opening gifts, then play games and around 4:00, another turkey dinner. Our third turkey dinner in 28 hours, each different, each delicious and each made special by those we share with. We head home at about 7:00.
Christmas is over. It has been long, tiring and merry.
Friday Amanda has several house-calls to do and afternoon becomes a dad and Madeline shopping event. First a trip to Dodge Grain for food for the ducks and rabbits, and then we are off to the mall to shop for Mom and to get an outfit for Christmas. It is important together time for Madeleine and I.
We circle the mall several times. The gifts for Mom are easy, the outfit for Madeleine takes more intense shopping. And then there is the stop at the Pet shop to pet the puppies and other detours. The clothes purchased, the last thing to buy is a pair of shoes. The pants are long and require a heal. None of the stores have anything that looks good except for a store with dressy cowboy boots. That is what she wants. At first Dad says no. But they aren’t that expensive, they are on sale, they look better than anything else we have seen, she really wants them, and it is Christmas. I leave the mall with a smiling daughter and Cowboy Boots.
Saturday, Amanda has another house call and we devote the day to wrapping gifts and other chores. Madeleine and I got to midnight mass that is now held at 10:30 with a choir concert starting at 9:45. Home at 11:45, Madeleine is quickly asleep and so are we.
Although she is quickly developing into a young woman, Madeleine is still a child. She wakes up at 4:30 am and can’t go back to sleep. At 5:30 she crawls into bed with us. After a half hour of fidgeting we send her back to her room and tell her to wait until 7:00.
Stockings, breakfast and then gifts – all a great success. Then we dress and head over to my sister’s for Christmas dinner with my late mother’s second family: my stepfather, two sisters, brothers-in-law, a brother, a sister-in-law, two nephews and four nieces. We haven’t all been together in a while and this is my first time in my sister’s new home. It is Christmas and the 3-year-old twins are having a wonderful time. Everyone likes their presents. It could not have been better. Finally late afternoon we stop by the house to let the dogs out and then head down to Cambridge for an annual party with friends. More turkey, lots of good talk, a chance to relax. We get home late and sleep late – Madeleine doesn’t wake up until 10:45 this time.
Now it is off to my step-mother’s house for “Christmas” with my late father’s second family: my step mother, two sisters, two brother’s in law, two nephews and three nieces (all combined I have a large family – Amanda has but one sister, brother-in-law and nephew). We start by opening gifts, then play games and around 4:00, another turkey dinner. Our third turkey dinner in 28 hours, each different, each delicious and each made special by those we share with. We head home at about 7:00.
Christmas is over. It has been long, tiring and merry.
posted by J Corlss at 10:26 PM
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