"Christmas gift!" is the traditional holiday greeting in my dad's family.
And we would have all greeted each other that way if it weren't 6:45 a.m in the morning with my folks coming in the door just in time to stop the kids bounding down the stairs so we could all gather together to see the tree and gifts for the first time.
So, Gommie, Pop, Mama, Goo, the kiddos and I came downstairs to see that "the big fat man in the red suit" had indeed visited. He loved Sis's gingersnaps, even leaving her a response to her note. He filled the stockings and left a pile of gifts--knee-high!--under the tree.
Bud said, "Can we skip the stockings and get straight to the presents?"
Good thing we don't read the Christmas story from the Book of Luke before opening anything as we did when I was a child--that's an extra benefit of going to church on Christmas Eve!
I won't bore you with the details of our unwrapping marathon, except to say that there were lots of "oohs" and "ahs," "awesomes!," hugs, and "thank yous." Also, lots of Legos, American Girl doll accessories, Calico Critters, Kinex, art kits, Doctor Who merchandise, and books, books, books--on the Revolutionary War, WWII women in England (Mama is very interested in Special Ops, after reading Code Name Verity), cooking, Star Wars, and the like.
We eventually came up for air, about the time that Ma and Gong arrived from the city. We had a lavish breakfast, with orange biscuits, monkey bread, sausage, Taylor pork roll, bacon, corned beef hash, scrambled eggs, and English muffins.
As you might know, we have never had both sets of grandparents here for Christmas, usually spacing them out separately, actually rarely getting together as a group. But this year, with the ravages of Sandy and the loss of so many of their belongings (I'm thrilled to announce that they have been able to return to their house just this week! The biggest Christmas present of all!), we decided to have Christmas together. It went exceedingly well and we're glad we could celebrate together.
And then we opened gifts again, this time with Ma and Gong. Hallmark ornaments to begin to replace all the ornaments Ma and Gong lost (they lost all but one box of Christmas, saving only their beloved set of dancing snowmen from Hallmark), cake pans for me to replace my old nasty ones that Goo noticed on Thanksgiving, and new Razor scooters to replace the ones lost in the garage accident this fall.
So we went outside to scooter and to show off bike riding, now that both kids are on only two wheels. The rest of the afternoon was a combination of playing with various toys and relatives, making and serving snacks and then dinner, conversation, and napping. Variously, Gong, Gommie, and Pop hid in Bud's bunk bed for a little shut-eye! Goo never got a break, nor did Mama or Ma.
Our late dinner--who was hungry after that breakfast and then black-eyed pea dip and Texas trash?--was delicious (and so easy, having been cooked the day before). We all liked the chicken and sausage gumbo (with file received in Mama's stocking!) and the shrimp remoulade, followed by my bread pudding with rum sauce plus treats from the city--Junior's cheesecake, a pear and almond Cabernet tart, and a slice of my favorite Junior' sDevil's Food cheesecake with a candle on top for my birthday!
The day ended with Bud playing a few Christmas carols on the piano and then Goo delighting us with the Turkish Rondo. Bud sat mesmerized watching him play.
Then Ma, Gong and Goo headed back to the city. Gommie and Pop lasted long enough to clean the kitchen (thanks, Pop, for all the dishwashing this week! It is so appreciated.). Mama and I then lounged on the couches for a couple of hours while the kids played with all their toys, getting everyone up to bed by 8 p.m.
Bud and Sis were very interested in the plush Tardis (Doctor Who's time and space traveling machine) and asked me to use it to take them to first the Pokemon universe and then the Star Wars universe. When Bud heard the telltale sound of the Tardis departing, he yelled from another room, "Hold the Tardis! I'm coming!"
Apropos of this, Mama and I ended the day watching the special Doctor Who Christmas episode on the BBC, which for me, at least, was the perfect ending to a great day.
Christmas gift!
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