Finally Christmas... Eve

Done!

So I managed to get everything done and ready for Christmas. I’d been battling a migraine all week while waiting for a refill of my meds to arrive in the mail. Just when I decided to get an emergency supply from the VA here in town that Thursday, it arrived in the mail. I dosed myself good that night, and was finally feeling well enough to at least round out the last of my traditional Christmas duties. Friday was Christmas Eve, and it saw me baking and wrapping all day.

Postponing the IHOP Trip

I was originally planning to head down to New Bloomfield to take the IHOP family their gifts on Christmas Eve (as I’ve been wont to do in the past), but it was pretty late by time I was done with the wrapping. I called her up, and she already had a bevy of guests coming in and out of her home, and we decided Sunday would be a better time for us to visit and do the Christmas thing.

Dinner with Scrooge

So, with all of my holiday preparations finally completely finished, I took up my folks’ offer to go out to dinner with them for Christmas Eve. We had an old friend of the family (I’ll call him Scrooge, cuz he delights in answering every “Merry Christmas” with “Bah Humbug”) drop by for the holidays at the last moment, and he’d come into town that day. He bitched, yet again, that he'd not been mentioned in "this year's installment of War & Peace" (his definition of my Christmas newsletter), even though I never even SAW him all year. He really should learn better than to bitch about these things... last time he did so, I mentioned him incessantly in the following year's letter, and not in the slightest bit reverently. *grin*

Amway, we went out to Olive Garden, which is much nicer fare than I’m accustomed to. I don’t eat out much, anyway, unless I’m with my folks, and THEN we usually patronize much more modest establishments. So this was a treat… complete with appetizers, salad, breadsticks and some pretty damned good chicken fettuccini. Though, all of us weren’t feeling so good afterwards, which was the only damper on the evening.

Getting Ready for Morning

We got back to my folks’ place that night, and Mom finally braved putting up a small Christmas tree… AFTER the cat went to bed. Which was probly rather wise of her, considering we had a helluva time Christmas morning keeping said resident feline (not Ms. Pukesalot this time) occupied with entertainment other than the dangly objects hanging from the tree.

We got all the presents laid out under the tree Christmas Eve, and I helped Mom in the kitchen as she made the Pumpkin Pie and the Bubble Bread for Christmas morning. Pop and Scrooge had their manly discussion in the living room… they’re old boyhood friends, and I think Scrooge considers Pop (and us) the only real family he has left.

Amway, we called it a night, and I went home to give Ms. Pukesalot lots of love and attention cuz I'd be abandoning her ALL of the following day.