Thursday, January 7, 2010

Christmas Past 2009



Things didn't exactly been go according to the Disney script.

Our celebrations were well intentioned, but a little amiss. First of all, I overdid the Christmas decorations. The dining room all silvery with huge snowflakes hanging from the chandelier and this silver table wreath. Plus silver napkins. Then the living room GOLD!!! I think I was trying to make up for last year when we got stranded by a snowstorm in the Utah mountains. Really only photos could show the folly. I wanted to cheer up Geoffrey!

Meanwhile, he nearly fell apart at a service of remembrance the Wednesday before Christmas when he went up to light the candle for Kathleen. Got all choked up. Maybe because he had a colonoscopy that morning. In addition, I had put my back out trying to help him to get his clothes back on! Then Alice had had a dentist appointment. We were a right collection of doddering old fools!
But we managed to struggle through a very nice dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant.

The next day, Christmas Eve, I continued to tweak the intense decorations while Geoffrey and Alice shopped for groceries and then went to the final performance of "A Christmas Story". All the presents were wrapped. It was perfect. We had the pot roast and then Geoffrey fell face-forward into the couch never to rise up. I collapsed on the other end. Alice couldn't rally either of us for midnight mass. The next morning it was obvious I had bronchitis or something.

Still, we pressed on with preparation of our turkey dinner. We opened the presents and a champagne I had been saving for a happy day since my 60th birthday (18 months ago)! Alice had to cut two dishes from the menu so we could eat before the turkey turned stone cold. I leave you to imagine any grumbles of discontent. Then we went to the movies.

"Up In The Air" is thought provoking and very good, but a depressing sort of entertainment. Christmas Spirit was further frayed when Alice asked for one of our cars to drive to Atlanta for Boxing Day to see a chum.

So, I went to bed with aching ribs. Geoffrey and Alice walked the dog up to get coffee before she started her drive to Atlanta. We parents re-cooped while Alice reveled with cute people her age. When she got back we hung out and cooled out and enjoyed the rest (as in restful) of the twelve days of Christmas.... although she left on New Year's Eve in time to go to parties in LA.

No comments: