Post Christmas Contentment

Christmas Day With Family

Sixteen Year Old Hayden And Coco

We are in Virginia for another day as the sky begins to turn pink at 7:33.  I have been up for an hour and Drew has just gotten up so it's time for Sports Center and some political talk.  It's  getting chilly around here but nothing like Chautauqua where there's a couple of feet of snow and single digits from what I could tell on the weather channel.

7:31

We had another great Christmas here in Bristow with Jill's family.  The best part, perhaps, is that the girls are older and don't get up at the crack of dawn.  In fact, we did not start opening presents until 9:00, a sensible time.  And since Christmas is always about children and grandchildren, we watched Hayden and Halle open present after present.  They seemed excited and happy about all they received and really enjoyed giving gifts this year to their parents and to Evie and me.  They are growing up.  We gave Jill and Drew a neat framed 16 x 16 framed photograph of their family, from a photograph we took this past summer.

Hayden, Drew, Halle, And Jill

Opening Presents

New Clothes For Hayden And Halle

After all the excitement of opening presents, we quickly cleaned up the living room and Jill got out the fresh croissants and browned a couple of packages of link sausages.  Evie made some scrambled eggs, so we had a big breakfast around 10:30.  The croissants, from a home French baker, were big and buttery.  Yum.  After breakfast, I took Coco out for a walk on a surprisingly chilly late morning while Evie started prepping for our dinner.  Our niece Jennifer, her husband, Robert and their three boys, new to the area, were coming over for Christmas dinner.  Unfortunately, Evie's sister, Jean, who was also in town, was not feeling well and was unable to come.  Since we no longer have a working oven, Evie had to forget about making scalloped potatoes with leeks and cream and instead, made a potato galette on the stove top which turned out just as good.  Jill got out the shrimp, Evie and Halle set the table and Drew and I watched some NBA basketball.

Jennifer, Will, James, Robert And Henry

The gang arrived at 1:30, the boys excited, ready for bear.  Having them around was like a whirlwind of action but fun...for an afternoon!  They are full of life, interested in everything, and went straight downstairs to play with the Hayden and Halle's  gadgets and toys.  Jennifer brought appetizers to go with the shrimp and her 'redneck sushi was a big hit'.  It's made with a slice of corned beef, covered with cream cheese, then rolled up with a dill pickle and sliced like sushi.

Jennifer And Henry The Great

Enjoying A Christmas Afternoon

Robert And William

William Opening His Presents

James Using The Selfie Stick

We sat around talking until dinner, watching the boys open presents from Evie, and move from one room to another, to the outside porch and back, full of mojo as we sat drinking our wine and enjoying appetizers. Drew baked the dinner ham out on the barbecue grill which seemed to work fine.  Evie made some mashed potatoes, Jill a salad and Jennifer also brought a salad of veggies, peppers, and pepperoni.  Dinner was great and we sat around the table for a good hour or more, as the boys never seemed to get full, moving from one food to another.  And Henry sat content, eating and repeating words, happy to be part of the group.  We had carrot cake, cookies and homemade truffles that Jennifer brought.  We also went through two bottles of Aunt Jean's wine.  Thank you, Jeannie!  We missed you.

Christmas Dinner

Evie And Henry

It was a fun Christmas day and though we missed Beth and Tom's families, we were grateful to be at Jill's with Jennifer and her family.  Tom's family, by the way, is celebrating Christmas for the first time on a cruise ship on the Gulf Of Mexico.  And Beth has her mother in law and sister in law in Dallas to celebrate.  Christmas is all about family.

Jennifer, Robert, and the boys left about 6:30, the boys full, happy, and sleepy, in their pajamas.  It was sad to see them go and afterward,  the house seemed strangely quiet.  Drew immediately got busy with the dishes as the rest of us helped clear and put away the food and Halle helped by drying some of the pots and pans.  We relaxed the rest of the evening, tired from the day, watching some TV, finally settling on Chevy Chase in Summer Vacation, always fun.  The girls went to be around 10:00 and the four of us stayed up till 11:00, talking about families, vacations, and the good old days.

Daisy At Rest