Christmas in Review

This Christmas was rather low-key but lots of fun. Skip has a variety of inflatable outdoor ornaments. This year, Santa cyclically emerged from the chimney on our front porch.

I have a little (yet mighty) family so we take every opportunity to expand our circle and spend time with friends, especially at this time of year. This year we were invited to my long-time friend, Lorna's, for Christmas dinner. Since we had already ordered our Christmas capon (Skip likes turkey but doesn't like turkey leftovers so prefers having a capon instead), we decided to make our own celebration with it and all the fixings and used the Winter Solstice as the excuse. It was delicious.

The next evening, we were invited to my BFF (Best Fibre Friend), Marion's, for dinner and enjoyed yet another yummy meal in tasteful surroundings.

Marion has a real flair for style and design and changes her décor from season to season.

Then on Christmas Eve, we enjoyed more camaraderie with our friends, Norm and Lena, who are Skip's former neighbours.

Lena and Norm

Here, Scooter and Skip are anxiously awaiting the announcement that "dinner is served".

Lena's traditional Swedish dinner once again exceeded all our expectations.

Christmas morning, we got up at a reasonable time.  This is what the scene looked like before we ripped everything open. Our stockings (all knit, needle-pointed and cross-stitched by me respectively) were moved to the wall unit when Skip lit the fireplace.

Then we opened our presents.

This was lots of fun when Scooter was younger. Now it's just nice to be together as a family with our traditional TV fireplace going beside the real fireplace.

I like to reminisce about Christmases past. That snowman stocking at the left above dates from 1961. I remember that special Christmas because my dad had remarried that month and my new mom, who later legally adopted me after his death 6 years later, decided we needed some Christmas traditions.

This was our 'girl' photo that year. My older sister, Valerie, made the best of the situation. She wasn't 100% thrilled to have a step-mother, especially so soon after our mother's death. 

Geri (age 7), Mabel and Valerie (age 16)

As a family that year, we baked and decorated cookies and all got Christmas stockings. I don't think we ever had any before then.  I still remember several gifts I got that Christmas: a 7-year-old-Geri-sized platform rocker, an inflatable Santa with weighted rocker feet and my chalkboard (not pictured).

Geri on her new rocker with Santa and Dad demonstrates his new seltzer maker

 I remember being very happy to have a mama again, as my first mother had died earlier that year after a lengthy battle with cancer which had begun when I was 5. And Dad certainly was happier.

Another new tradition was to string wires up around the living room and hang Christmas cards from them (we weren't a family of tall people).

Dad and Mabel

Somehow I retained possession of my brother, George's, stocking after all these years. I like to put it out just to remember him (he died at age 26 in 1973) and that very special Christmas.

After opening our presents this year, we planned what we were going to buy with our gift cards and played with our new stuff.

Then we were off to Lorna's for her scrumptious turkey dinner with cranberries and dressing, squash, broccoli, potatoes, raspberry ripple dessert and a variety of cookies and sweets. 

Geri, Skip, Lorna, Megan and Scooter

Lorna and Geri

I'm SO lucky to have nice friends and a nice family.

Spending Christmas with these two guys is my favourite part of it.