Christmas music filled the air while we gathered around the island in Kirsten’s kitchen, a beautiful board of lefse, cheeses, meats, and sweets tempting our paletes. We were having our own little Norwegian Christmas Eve, just Kirsten’s family and Carm & I. Grace peeped in her cage by the fireplace to make sure we didn’t forget to give her a little piece of cheese. The six dogs milled about (although maybe poor Murphy was banished to his crate - he does get upset when other dogs are near the food), not quite settled or sure where to lie down. It was a comfortable chaos.
When our eyes could no longer stay open, we headed to bed - Spike was carried by Carm (oh how he hates being carried) and Adia navigating the stairs with ease. We were sleeping in the loft again, an aire room separated from the rest of the house. After I crawled into bed I could feel Spike near the bottom of the bed… “gosh, he’s big,'' I thought to myself just before Carm informed me that Adia was on the bed with us. We decided to let her stay - it was Christmas after all.
Morning came too soon. Spike and Adia needed outside way too early… there was no convincing them that their bladders could wait so I hefted myself off the mattress on the floor and stepped out into the cold morning air. There was a sliver of light to the west lighting the sky with a pink glow.
A little rest back in bed and then the day started in earnest. Coffee accompanied by ginger cake, fruit cake, and gingerbread cookies, fueled us until Christmas Morning Wife saver later in the morning. With steaming cups of coffee in hand we traipsed into the sun room where the giant tree held forth. It seemed like a mountain of gifts were underneath it. Carm and I settled into the loveseat and found two stuffed stockings with our names on it. Santa had even come for us! One by one, everyone opened the brown paper packages. Treasures and treats piled up on the coffee table in front of us, while a pretty plaid bag was stuffed with discarded papers. So much fun!
We spent the rest of the morning eating breakfast and opening gifts. It was fun to watch Kirsten’s family rip and tear their gifts open. Since this is their first winter back in Canada there were a lot of scarfs, hats, and mittens in the packages.
We had a goodie bag filled with Italian prosecco, aperol, and tasty snacks. Our gifts, purchased in Europe, paled in comparison with the generous bounty we received.
A quick check of the schedule Nissa and I put together let us know that it was time to deal with the giant turkey. A team effort got the bird into the oven on time. Mom, Graham, Juliette, and Erik arrived right after. A flurry of activity got the van unloaded. The house was packed now!
We passed a congenial afternoon prepping food for supper, visiting around the island, and disbursing around the house.
I can’t believe that I forgot to take a photo of us at supper! Everything turned out great… well, except for the brussels sprouts! Shenna’s dry brine kept the turkey moist in the oven, the potatoes were well mashed, the gravy smooth and a bit salty, the carrots tender and zesty. We all ate too much!
By this time of the evening my throat was sore and I was starting to become congested. By the time it was bedtime I felt awful. I tossed and turned all night, nauseous from a wicked sinus headache and barely able to breathe.
We were up early again and as we sat at the island I suddenly knew I couldn’t spend anymore time - my sinuses were pressing against my eyes and I was totally wiped out by the cold. We gathered up our stuff, said a quick goodbye, and then roared down the road. I was asleep in minutes.
So, here I sit now… I’ve had a nap and then a hot bath. My eyes are still bleary and my brain is full of stodge. I’m satisfied though - we had a wonderful few days!
“Sister is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.”
~Margaret Mead
1 comment:
Looks like a great time!
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