The new-to-me big St. Nicholas
After only 4 hours of sleep I was up and going at 4AM as I had a LOT to do. I got breakfast eaten and cleaned off the dining room table so I could put the leaf in and put the newly ironed tablecloth on.
Shortly after I had gotten up, I started an allergic reaction to something. I was sneezing like mad and the nose was running. I’d not had ever something like this that lasted more than 15 minutes before. It went on all day, and all day Tuesday too. Not fun…
When my son got up at 10:30 we had Christmas. There was a big box under the tree and somehow I thought my son had put it there. But when we went to open it we discovered it had no name tag and wasn’t the one I taught him to wrap. And it was heavy!
So he opened it and we discovered it was a book from my sister to me. She had sent it to my brother and my brother had wrapped it and put it under the tree when he was up on the 14th.
It’s a Dorling Kindersley book which means it’s one of the best formats out there. The pictures are clear and crisp, the prose easy to read, and it’s just a joy to hold and enjoy. My sister said when my brother opened it and started reading it, he didn’t want to give it to me!
Once present opening was done and the mess cleaned up, I laid out the games under the candle holder and put the boxes with my husband’s and his best friend’s ashes there too.
Then I got the vegetables ready for the roasted vegetables dish: one of the “unknown” squashes’, an onion, lots of garlic, and 3 pears. I set them to roast and then got started on the meal for myself and my son for 1:30. He made the shrimp scampi and I got the noodles cooked and the kernal corn. He hadn’t wanted much, so we kept it simple.
Then I set up the big counter as the buffet station with dishes and foods that didn’t need to be cold or hot.
Once that was done, I set about making lots of chicken nuggets and I put them in the cold pantry until it was time to cook them.
On the old island I made an eggnog station.
The new-to-me little St. Nicholas
Then I got a shower and went up and fed the cats their 2nd Christmas dinner. I’d done a first one around 7AM as I didn’t know if I’d have time later in the day when I usually do the dinners.
When it comes to wet food, I instantly become Dennis’s best friend. It’s the only time she will let you near her. On the day after, having gotten 2 dinners in a row, I got the MOST disgusted look from her as I walked out with the used dishes and didn’t leave new ones full of wet food. I expect I am now a pariah for a long period on the strength of that…
I managed to sit down for ½ hour before Tom and family arrived around 6PM. They had brought salad and we set about making it.
I’d put the chicken into the oven when they arrived and by 6:30 we sat down to:
Chicken nuggets, both breast and thigh meat
Huge lettuce, carrot, cherry tomato, and pomegranate seed salad
Roasted vegs
Wild blueberry/Cranberry Chutney
Sliced Swiss and Monterey Jack cheese
Crackers
Zucchini bread
We played one of the games, Which Would You Chose?, while we ate.
Dessert was deferred to later and it was decided they wanted to watch one of my Christmas movies. It came down to my favorite, “If You Believe” and “The 9 Lives of Christmas” and mine won.
About ¾ of the way through we took a break and had ice cream and eggnog I made. Once the movie finished, we opened presents. Then they helped with some of the cleanup and went home about 9:30PM.
I cleaned up a little more, got the stoves set for the night, turned off the lights and candles, and was in bed by 10PM. It was a very long day and I’d been so busy I’d not had time to dwell.
On Monday I’d figured it would be a crash day and it was. It dawned on me I was starting the 3rd year without him on that day. I felt lost and alone, again.
I managed to feed cats, keep fires going, sleep a lot and watch Christmas movies. No laundry, no dishes…
I’m hoping I can get both of those done on Tuesday plus a shower.