Now that my melancholy has passed I can write about our Christmas! Our families actual Christmas took place on Christmas eve this year. Since my divorce the ex Mr. & I have switched off days for the holiday. One year I will get Christmas morning and he will have the whole day and Smirk's birthday (boxing day for some in the world, but our holiday is Smirkday). Each year is different. This year it was my year for Christmas eve and morning. But something has changed, more on that later.
Christmas eve was a wonderful day. Both of my daughters slept in whist I got up and started cooking other wise known as over-cooking according to Smirk. I also was cleaning, or stressing as they put it... What they don't understand is that maybe twice a year when people come to my house, I have to give it a really good clean.. The rest of the time is just surface clean... So it is my time to trick the ladies into really scrubbing!! We were going to have my family over for the evening. That consists of my auntie, my granny, brother, his wife and the two youngest members of the family, Shrieks & Giggles. Shrieks is 8 and just has the loudest laugh I think I have ever heard. She looks like my brother, with light brown hair and his nose. Giggles is 3 1/2, she looks like her mom, dark hair and fair skin and is amazing. They are so much like Grin and Smirk except reversed. Shrieks' personality is more like Grin's and Smirk and Giggles are so much alike it is frightening... They are and were both very independent and had/have no fear. It was a delight to have small one's in the house, but it was very strange. Since they are Jewish, my tree nor decorations had any affect on them. We have had some little ones come over and are just in awe of the tree and the living room ceiling full of lights, but nothing from these two... But they were there...We had a lovely buffet dinner consisting of ham and chicken strips, scalloped potatoes, veggies and dip, hummus, spinach dip and crackers, and desert. For desert I made key lime bars and blackberry apple crumble. YUMMY
I have discovered that my girls now have a new emotion... Compassion... They have always had hints of it hiding below the surface, but this year... New levels... Smirk and Grin wanted to be with me in the morning to open presents and have our normal cup of cheer (coffee to most, hot chocolate for Grin) but they wanted to leave as soon as possible... Why you ask...Had they had enough of me and wanted to get to the good presents??? No, they wanted to leave because they didn't want to make their 9 year old half brother T wait too long to open presents... You see, Christmas morning has usually lasted until 11am and poor T sits longingly looking at his gifts piled under the tree, waiting until his sisters arrive. Poor little thing.... So we opened presents at 6:30am and then dressed and were on the road by 7:30. It made me happy to think that my girls finally realize what it means to care about someones feelings above their own. Isn't that the true meaning of Christmas. Best wishes to all and a happy new year!!!!
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