Christmas day

This was posted on Facebook this morning:

Okay, Facebook, question:

The holidays are rough. Family can be a mixed bag, so tell me: What’s pissing you off? This is a safe space to vent, is set to Friends Only visibility, and we will agree with you and validate that whatever it is truly fucking sucks.

By the end of the day there were nearly 100 responses written by people who were upset by Christmas for various reasons, whether death in the family or family rifts or whatever. This struck me because I don't have a single bad feeling about Christmas this year. I love how we are enjoying each other and even though we won't have our "big Christmas dinner" until tomorrow, when Tom and his family will arrive, we've had a lovely celebration. I didn't even take a lot of pictures because I wanted to just enjoy the day.

I woke up early and turned on the tree and then found the "yule log" on TV and put it on.

Jeri, who had spent the night at a friend's, came around 10 and we opened gifts. One of the most fun gifts was Marta's gift to Ned. She had a dog made to look like Bouncer, their dog who was put to sleep last year. She looks very much like a smaller Bouncer, and she has Bouncer's bark imbedded. But the most fun thing was that when Ned opened it, Bubba, who was in my lap got very intense and kept staring at it and finally jumped down to investigate.

It took him a long time before he finally knocked it over and then ignored it. I was surprised that he seemed to find the stuffed animal familiar. I didn't think dogs relied on their sight that much.

My big surprise was a new very large TV, which Ned got set up. The resolution is amazing and I know I am going to be very happy with it.

Ned made a great breakfast, with cranberry bread that Char's daughter Dana had brought to us yesterday. My plan had been to make pumpkin pies in the afternoon, but Marta needed the kitchen to make food for the party they were attending that night, so I decided I'd just make the pies at night. Jeri and I went for a long drive. We were half heartedly looking for some place where we could have coffee, but really we just wanted to chat and since every coffee place was closed, we just drove out to Winters and then back again We had such a nice talk.

Marta was finishing up when we got back, but it was getting late and the 49er game was on. (look at the huge screen!)

Tom and the girls called at the start of the game and we chatted. Lacie got her first cell phone for Christmas and we've texted each other. It's a good thing I talked with Tom at the start of the game because the 49ers lost terribly (33-19) and he wouldn't have been happy at the end of the game! They will be here tomorrow around 4 p.m.

No time to make pies after the game because it was time for dinner. It was Ned, Jeri and I and I made fondue for dinner, which I haven't made in a long time. It was delicious! For dessert we had chocolate covered macadamias, which a partner on SwapBot sent me yesterday.

Walt was cleaning up the kitchen, but there were so many dishes that wouldn't fit in the dishwasher that there was no counter space at all, so I decided to make the pies in the morning. Instead we watched the Christmas special of Call the Midwife, and then Jeopardy.

Marta and Ned came home from the party they had attended. Marta had received a blanket that you can heat and decided I could use it when sleeping in the recliner (just what I need--something to put me to sleep!)

So Christmas day is over and tomorrow will be Christmas dinner. And I spent a lot of time today feeling so sad for the ~100 people who answered the Facebook comment about being pissed about Christmas.

I'm going to sleep with a smile on my face.

As an aside, I've been trying to watch Christmas movies this month. I've seen Miracle on 34th St. (my favorite), White Christmas, The Bishop's Wife, A Christmas Carol, Home Alone, A Christmas Story, Elf and the start of a couple of others that I really didn't like. I finally decided to watch It's a Wonderful Life and realized--yet again--that I just don't like that popular movie. We were going to watch Die Hard tonight, but watched Call the Midwife instead.

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 PHOTO OF THE DAY

Walt, Jeri and I sleeping through
The Wizard of Oz.

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