Christmas Roundup

I hope everyone is enjoying a blessed Christmas season.

So far ours has been lovely, if a little busier than I might have liked.

We had a quiet version of the Sicilian custom of the feast of seven fishes on Christmas eve. We had four fishes and a wonderful feast it was: lobsters, shrimp cocktails, stuffed clams and stuffed crabs. All orchestrated by Dom who made a last-minute run to our local fish market, which was fortunately open until five.

We got up early on Christmas morning so we could have time to open our presents and not have to rush for mass. Santa obliged us with some candy in our stockings (Bella got a blueberry Nutrigrain bar, which is candy as far as she’s concerned. She calls them “crack” as she calls all cookies, crackers and like treats.)

Bella got a couple of books, I’ll write more about them later, and a small plastic elephant and horse (very lifelike, German made and fairly heavy)  that she fell in love with at Target the other day. (I was afraid I might not get to pack them away until Christmas as she screamed when the cashier took them to ring them up and hardly let them out of her grasp for the next several hours. Fortunately I was able to pry them away when she fell asleep at nap time and she didn’t notice their absence when she woke up.)

I got Dom a cd called Roast Beef of Old England, a collection of sailing songs of the British Navy from the era of the Patrick O’Brian books. I also framed a collection of postcards of old style sailing vessels for him to hang in his office. A theme present to feed his obsession with all things maritime.

Dom gave me a little roll away desk for my laptop so I can stop balancing it on the arm of the sofa when it is not in use.

Mass was lovely and after mass we ate breakfast and then headed up to Maine. We’d originally planned a quiet day at home, just the three of us; but since Dom’s mother was out of the hospital we decided to join his brother and sister and their families. It was a fairly simple day: a buffet dinner of meatballs, lasagna and deep fried turkey. Lots of happy kids running around except for the brief period when most of them were engaged in watching Ratatouille.

We drove home after dinner and Bella fell asleep crying five minutes from the house after watching almost all of Finding Nemo.

Last night after Dom came home from work we had the roast beef dinner we’d planned for Christmas day. The Yorkshire pudding came out perfectly and all the sides were grand.

Today I’m packing as we leave bright and early tomorrow for a brief visit with my family in Texas. They can’t wait to see Isabella. My brothers haven’t seen her since last January!

Blogging may be very light in the next week as I doubt I’ll be taking my laptop.

So enjoy the rest of the Christmas season.  Happy New Year and Happy Epiphany.