We made it!

Above is a picture of the holiday aftermath. We came, we saw, we destroyed house. As I write this it’s 1:20 on Monday. The dishwasher is running again, the kitchen mostly clean, the papers and boxes and gifts and ribbons corralled. The kids went to their Dad’s an hour ago and Bill just left for a half day of work. I’m thinking I should perhaps get dressed and shower. ‘Ya think?

So, here’s a recap.

Dec. 25, 8 a.m. While I readied breakfast, Erin played for us, a command performance mandated by her grandmother. As Mom put it, “I paid for the piano lessons—I get a concert!”

Breakfast was sectioned oranges and grapefruit, homemade concord grape juice, Hoska, cinnamon rolls (homemade), scrambled eggs, maple-cured bacon, and chicken-apple sausages. Starting with the guy standing at top left and going clockwise: Bill (my S.O.), Erin, Rebecca, Mom, Joe, and Scott.

While I got the kitchen cleaned up, the family did what families everywhere do on Christmas morning…. They gathered around the iBook. Ah, tradition…..

Here's a picture of Bill and I. The pile of gifts doubled with the arrival of Mom and Joe and again when the Erin-Scott-Rebecca sleigh pulled in.

The opening begins…. Left to right, Erin, Scott, and Rebecca oooh and aaaah over the latest present.

Ernie—who turns 17 in two weeks—was a quiet presence during the holiday (right, with Erin).

We missed Katie a lot. Plane tickets were sky high to and from Anchorage this year, and she would have only had a few days off at best. So she stayed in Alaska and celebrated with boyfriend John and friends. She and John plan a nice long visit to Portland next April, which will be wonderful. In the meantime, we mourned her absence with a shrine made of her stocking, canned olives, Ya-Ya beads, and a martini glass.

Katie’s been hard at work knitting gifts for all of us. Above is a shot of us modeling our new hats and scarves. (Mom’s plum-colored scarf matched her hair).

Here’s a picture of my favorite 6’5” son…. I’m guessing you have a few questions. Well, Mom always gives us new sleepwear for Christmas—for the guys, this usually means boxers. Over the years, Scott has received an interesting collections of “uns” from his favorite grandmother., the most memorable being a pair of singing California Raisin underwear many years back. This year? Green satin elf shorts and cap…. With bells.

Above and right: Mom and Joe.

All in all it was a great holiday, our own family’s combination of a Pagan welcoming of the Winter Solstice and a tribute to the traditional family Christmas we’ve always celebrated. Now I get to enjoy my favorite part of the winter holidays: the time between Solstice/Christmas and New Years. It’s a time of peace and quiet, time to read the new books, listen to the new CDs, try out the new coffee pot, eat leftover cookies. The pressure is off. It’s time to just sit back and enjoy.