Merry Christmas!

It's Boxing Day.  The house is a bit of a mess, with bits of wrapping paper scattered amongst the remnants of snack mix, half-eaten boxes of chocolates, and discarded packaging from Christmas gifts.  And I keep seeing bows in the strangest places.   My boys were busy little elves!  Clem has gone back to bed after a breakfast of leftover turkey on a homemade bun (thanks, Mom!)  The older boys haven't been up yet, much to Derek's delight, since he now gets the new Wii all to himself.   I'm sitting here in the sunshine having a really good cup of black coffee and a piece of my mom's famous fudge.  Tradition. Gotta love it.  It's also nice knowing I can sit here in my housecoat pretty sure that no one is going to drive in the yard!

We celebrated a relatively quiet Christmas here.  Ten people all together.  At first I was a little disappointed thinking about having so few, and was actually scrounging around looking for others to invite.  But after all is said and done, it was a very good day.  Very laid back, casual, easy.  Like wearing an old sweater.  Cozy and comfortable and wrapped in love.  

Our Christmas Eve mass was packed with people.  Derek even noticed that the young doctor, who is covering for our regular doctor, was there.  And when I say young, I mean young.  I was tempted to ask to see his ID.  He looks like he might still be in high school!  All the little kids were dressed in their finest, and barely able to sit still.  (I laughed when one little girl came over to her mother after mass, hairpiece in hand, and said "I am so done with this!")  The choir outdid themselves.  We always sing carols for about half an hour before mass begins, which everyone seems to enjoy.  It really sets a mood.  Then there is a candlelight procession while we all sing "Silent Night", with one verse in German.  There's that tradition again!  And of course it's always nice to greet the visitors who are home with family.  

The weather has smartened up a bit.  It got all the way up to -15 degrees Celcius yesterday,  which was oh-so-much nicer than the week of -30 we had previously.  (That's 5 above and 22 below for those of you operating in Fahrenheit!)  And did I mention the windchill?  On the upside, my cold storage room has stayed cold enough to keep the overflow from the fridge. Always a silver lining.  Plus, we're not in Winnipeg.  (Just a jab at my brother, who IS in Winnipeg for Christmas with his wife's family.  Not usually a holiday destination, but hey, they're going to Colombia in February.)

My sister called on Christmas Eve from an internet cafe on Easter Island.  (I really think she needs to write a song -  "I'm Spending Christmas on Easter Island...")  Now THAT is definitely a holiday destination.  She said it is hot, hot, hot.  She was planning to spend Christmas day with a family there, so I am anxious to hear about their traditions.

Clem's 92-year-old aunt Anne called from Thunder Bay to say Merry Christmas, and to thank him for the CD player he sent her.  She is jumping right into the new millenium!  We also talked to Clem's aunt Louise in Winnipeg.  They are such dears, and we enjoy so hearing from them.  

We had many friends drop in for visits in the days leading up to Christmas, which was very nice, especially since I was actually ready a few days early this year.  I know, I can hardly believe it myself.  Oh, I was still stressing out about a few little details (like Clem's present!!!) Christmas Eve morning, but hey, no one's perfect!  

So all in all, it's been a wonderful few days.  We're grateful to have our loved ones around us, and we miss those who aren't, but we're keeping them in our thoughts and prayers.  Hope you have all had a great Christmas, and thanks for taking some time to drop by!

PS:  I was browsing a few other blogs I enjoy, and came across this little gem.  Totally unrelated to this post, but what the heck - I thought it was a hoot!