Christmas -- The Merriment Continues

I think we were like many of you, who enjoyed multiple Christmases! As you saw in the last post, we had fun with the kids, decorating Rick's trees and doing the zoo walk. That was Monday. On Tuesday, it was our "Christmas Eve." I took the morning off so I could get a couple of things done at home (like sleep) and make cookies to decorate. But soon it was time for fun! (The clean-up would be later!)

 

We (I mean the collective "we") were going to build a gingerbread house. It started out well enough. 

 

Then it didn't. That was when the roof fell off. 

 

Finally, finished -- at least as finished as it would ever get. (By this time I had lost all helpers!) I named it Mariopul, because it was a tragic reminder of the war in Ukraine -- and knowing that their Christmas would not be so merry and bright as ours. After all, it was only our gingerbread house that fell apart -- not the roof over our heads. (Lessons learned -- this is a two-day project, not a two hour one!)

 

And of course, there would be plenty of food. 

 

Kevin did the heavy lifting on the cooking with Rick as Grillmeister and Cam as fire-watcher in chief! 

 

Carson had to get out there, too, so it was a gathering of three generations of Oberle men!

 

A fine feast with steak and sauteed beans, rolls and wonderful sauces. Dessert would come later!

 

Because the kids had to leave after breakfast and reindeer games for their next Christmas on "real" Christmas Eve, we decided to do presents that evening. Cam gave me a Lego cat to build -- he got the first half or two thirds done!

 

Meanwhile, Carson's bigger gift was an animation station so he could make flip books. He played with that all evening and all the next morning too. It was a hit!

 

The next morning it was a new breakfast casserole. I give it an 8 but next time, when I add a couple things to it, it will be a 9, maybe even a 10! Still, very good. While we were waiting for breakfast to bake, we decorated those cookies!

Some of us ate more than we decorated!

 

After breakfast we played "Reindeer Games," (basically the dice came where you get a wrapped prize when you roll doubles or you can steal from another player). The pinata we never got opened this fall ended up getting very -- well, pulverized!

 

Of course we had to get some family photos. We tried every combo of people except all six of us, but you can see why these two were my favorites.

 

Rick and I chilled out for a few hours after departure, then headed to nearby Jackson, Michigan, to see a friend of Rick's do his first Christmas service as a priest. After, we headed to his main church to see the beautiful mural painted on the altar wall. I'll write more about this around Easter, as it tracks Holy Week, but here's a sneak preview. It was amazing. 

 

Our "real" Christmas day found us being lazy at home, first a Rick's where we opened stockings and had breakfast, and later at mine for dinner and presents. 

 

Dinner would be pretty simple, a chicken and veg casserole. We'd had plenty the day before and after enjoying some wonderful appetizers of crackers, cheese and nuts (another gift from a good friend!) we weren't terribly hungry.  And of course, I had to set a pretty table, bringing in mom's dishes, crystal and silver to the table, with a terrific vintage tablecloth courtesy of Panoply blogger Rita! It's nice having "friends" at the table!

 

I quickly pulled together a little centerpiece, featuring a sweet felted Santa made by my future teacher, Linda Wonser, and two sweet Emma Bridgewater mugs from my friend Lin.

 

Some Christmas movies for me, watching the Royal Carol Service, the King's Speech, Jimmy Kimmel's speech and the "Call the Midwife" Christmas special.

 

And, on Boxing Day we just chilled out, having an easy goof off day. There was freezing rain outside and I had no desire to vacate the premises  for a bit! After all, all is calm.

 

Finally!