It was a lovely Christmas for the family. Well, Ernie and I both seemed to have some kind of stomach bug yesterday so we canceled Christmas dinner and on Thursday our oncologist referred us to Barnes in St. Louis for a consult so there were a few dings here and there to the Christmas spirit. However, the good parts of it all were so wonderful that we came out ahead.
Our big accomplishment? Although I swore I wouldn’t be wrapping presents on Christmas Eve, we did at least finish by 3 pm, an all-time record!
Owen came over later (Trinity was doing her family stuff) and the four of us hung out and watched a Christmas movie (OMG, I’d forgotten how awful Love Actually really is…and honestly…the Christmas part of it? Pretty weak—should have gone with Miracle on 34th Street. The only story I really liked was the old rock and roller and his manager. I know, I’m predictable). We had a great time. I forgot how LOUD Owen is when he’s watching a movie! Then we all curled up in the living room and listened to Christmas music and chatted. It was heavenly. Eventually, Ernie and I got tired enough that we kicked the boys out so we could fill stockings.
Oh, and do you want to know an official sign that they are grown up? They decided to wait to exchange their gifts on Christmas morning. Wow. I bet my sister Judi wouldn’t have let them get away with that! She NEVER got over wanting to open presents early. ❤️
The next morning as Ernie sat at the end of the bed trying to wake me up, Owen came out of his room. Ernie said loudly, “I hope the boys don’t come bother you.” Owen sauntered into the room and said, “Wow, I could almost hear the b in subtle.” God, I love him. I made him get on the bed with us and as Leo came in, I made him get on it too. “Remember when we played Boat?” Boat was a great game when the boys were little. It was a way for us to stay in bed and still pay attention to the guys. The boys would bring supplies (toys, books, and the like…Owen once brought pull-ups which I thought was impressively practical). Then they would pretend to fish off the bed, over the footboard while we laid there. I loved Boat. Anyway, after they laughed at me we all trooped downstairs.
No fire in the fireplace this year as it was so warm, but otherwise all was right. Vince Guaraldi playing as we opened presents one by one, and Ernie with his mug of coffee. And yes, we did get Leo some Lego because how can you have Christmas without Lego? We got him the London double-decker bus in honor of his trip to London.
Good God, could Owen and Trinity be cuter? And OMG but Dennis outdid himself with incredible gifts. We are spoiled indeed.
Yet again, poor Bob wondered if he was a present.
After breakfast (meat pie and cranberry sauce for Ernie and me, homemade muffins (Ernie, of course) for the boys. Then they spent most of the day putting together Leo’s new bedframe, getting Owen’s old bed out of his room, Leo’s old bed into Owen’s old room, and then Leo’s new mattress onto the frame. Leo actually managed to fit a queen-size bed in his room and it looks great—doesn’t take over the room as I thought it might and will be so much nicer for him. It was a present to himself and he did a good job researching and figuring it all out. No surprise, of course–that’s my boy. By that point I wasn’t feeling well at all so I dozed on and off as they carted things around. We decided not to do dinner (that ham goes in the oven today) so as it started to get dark, Owen and Trinity gathered their haul and headed home to enjoy themselves. Leo went upstairs to enjoy his new room and Ernie and I curled up in the media room and watched bad tv, not feeling well enough to focus on anything of quality. We felt a teeny bit better but headed up to bed early. I talked to my lights and read a book for a while. Today our stomachs are a bit tender but we seem ok. Who knows!
Despite the dings here and there, it was a lovely Christmas. We are very lucky in many ways. Merry Christmas to all, now let the 12 days of Christmas begin!
Thanks to all that stopped by with greetings and gifts or sent messages. We love you all so much. Oh, and the boys outdid themselves. My sweet peas.
Onward.
Onward indeed, dings and all. “Boat” sounds like such fun. My sister and I used to play “Johnson Family.” (Our grandfather entertained us with stories of this imaginary family that lived up the road from the farm. They were real to my sister and me.) I was once in my bed and my sister was in her crib with the side down (she would have been 2 or 3.) She fed a diaper over the lowered rail, as if she was sitting at a sewing machine, saying, “Sew, sew, sew.” I was so envious. Apparently, Mrs. Johnson made all the clothes for her family. We played Johnson Family every night before going to sleep. We’d get noisy. Then we’d hear Grandfather’s slippers swishing as he approached toward our bedroom on the bare, wooden floor. “You girls settle down, or I’m gong to give you the heeby-jeebies!” Sometimes that worked.