A Perfect Christmas
I know it's lofty saying today has been the perfect Christmas, but truly, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful, fun-filled day. Though a frigid wind blew, the sun was bright and the snow glittered. I sat for a while, before anyone else was up and ready to open gifts, watching the birds at the feeder while a fire burned in the fireplace.
Right after we opened presents, Lovely Beautiful Daughter and I made our way to the kitchen to get the meal going. I made bread stuffing for the turkey, the bread stuffing I grew up eating every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mom's bread stuffing. I snagged a bite as I made it, just like I used to when Mom made it. That stuffing is Christmas through and through. The turkey roasted in the oven for just over four hours, and during that four hour period, I made a couple of mincemeat turnovers to take to Dad tomorrow. He's the only one who liked the mincemeat pies that Mom made, so I thought I'd make a couple of turnovers just for him. In just a bit, I'll make the buckwheat pancake batter he's so fond of. Mom used to make these pancakes for him just a few times a year. It's a yeast recipe and has to brew overnight, so I'll get the batter put together and take him a jar of it for his Christmas present, to go along with the mincemeat turnovers. And the bottle of really good maple syrup I picked up last week. He's always saying he doesn't want anything unless he can eat or drink it. All of this he can definitely eat and enjoy.
With just me for quite some time this morning, I thought this is what my Christmases might be like from now on. The kids are no longer kids and go off doing their thing with their plus ones. I've always known I'm not the type to get all weepy over the kids growing up and leaving, and this morning that fact was reinforced. I was just fine here by myself. In fact, I liked being able to move around the house without worrying about being too noisy, without worrying if I should cook up enough bacon and eggs for whoever might wander into the kitchen. I've been told I'm "abnormally normal," so I'm not at all surprised I'm okay with the change happening in the family.
My husband did come over for the gift giving, though I didn't get him anything this year. I asked him not to get me anything, but he did. Surprise, surprise. It wasn't anything huge, but the same old issue of me asking him not to do something and he goes ahead and does it anyways is still a thing.
This afternoon, because of the snowfall, I finally was able to get the cross-country skis out and give them a go. Funny Delightful Son found the skis at a yard sale two years ago, but I've not been able to use them because we've not had much snow over the past two years. The shoes are about a size too big, and the poles are a tad long, but for $18 what can I expect. They're good enough to play around on, and if I actually put some time in and decide I want a proper pair of skis, I'll see what I can find at the end of this season.
Our meal was delicious. Lovely Beautiful Daughter did most of the work. I just did the turkey with stuffing and the mashed potatoes. She did green bean casserole, cheesy hashbrown potatoes, bread pudding, and a very tasty mustard gravy for the turkey. Some Hawaiian rolls and sparkling grape juice for the boys, a lovely bottle of red wine for me, and mimosas for Lovely Beautiful Daughter rounded out the dinner. Afterwards, we all fell into a food coma, though we did manage to watch a silly British movie, and the kids played a round of Taboo. Before heading off to bed, Lovely Beautiful Daughter said today was the best Christmas day she's had in a long time.
So yeah, today was perfect in every way.
Right after we opened presents, Lovely Beautiful Daughter and I made our way to the kitchen to get the meal going. I made bread stuffing for the turkey, the bread stuffing I grew up eating every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mom's bread stuffing. I snagged a bite as I made it, just like I used to when Mom made it. That stuffing is Christmas through and through. The turkey roasted in the oven for just over four hours, and during that four hour period, I made a couple of mincemeat turnovers to take to Dad tomorrow. He's the only one who liked the mincemeat pies that Mom made, so I thought I'd make a couple of turnovers just for him. In just a bit, I'll make the buckwheat pancake batter he's so fond of. Mom used to make these pancakes for him just a few times a year. It's a yeast recipe and has to brew overnight, so I'll get the batter put together and take him a jar of it for his Christmas present, to go along with the mincemeat turnovers. And the bottle of really good maple syrup I picked up last week. He's always saying he doesn't want anything unless he can eat or drink it. All of this he can definitely eat and enjoy.
With just me for quite some time this morning, I thought this is what my Christmases might be like from now on. The kids are no longer kids and go off doing their thing with their plus ones. I've always known I'm not the type to get all weepy over the kids growing up and leaving, and this morning that fact was reinforced. I was just fine here by myself. In fact, I liked being able to move around the house without worrying about being too noisy, without worrying if I should cook up enough bacon and eggs for whoever might wander into the kitchen. I've been told I'm "abnormally normal," so I'm not at all surprised I'm okay with the change happening in the family.
My husband did come over for the gift giving, though I didn't get him anything this year. I asked him not to get me anything, but he did. Surprise, surprise. It wasn't anything huge, but the same old issue of me asking him not to do something and he goes ahead and does it anyways is still a thing.
This afternoon, because of the snowfall, I finally was able to get the cross-country skis out and give them a go. Funny Delightful Son found the skis at a yard sale two years ago, but I've not been able to use them because we've not had much snow over the past two years. The shoes are about a size too big, and the poles are a tad long, but for $18 what can I expect. They're good enough to play around on, and if I actually put some time in and decide I want a proper pair of skis, I'll see what I can find at the end of this season.
Our meal was delicious. Lovely Beautiful Daughter did most of the work. I just did the turkey with stuffing and the mashed potatoes. She did green bean casserole, cheesy hashbrown potatoes, bread pudding, and a very tasty mustard gravy for the turkey. Some Hawaiian rolls and sparkling grape juice for the boys, a lovely bottle of red wine for me, and mimosas for Lovely Beautiful Daughter rounded out the dinner. Afterwards, we all fell into a food coma, though we did manage to watch a silly British movie, and the kids played a round of Taboo. Before heading off to bed, Lovely Beautiful Daughter said today was the best Christmas day she's had in a long time.
So yeah, today was perfect in every way.
Merry Christmas!
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