this weekend is an easy weekend in summary - because Christmas whips by us without so much as a whisper...
Friday: we packed up everything for Christmas (including our gifts), and drove to peterborough to my gma's house. last year was the first year that we spent Christmas Eve at our grandma's house - it makes thinks less hectic on Christmas Day. and even though it's nice to sleep in your own bed, it's a blessing every time i get to spend a day with my gma - and watch her enjoy life. Unfortunately this was also the first year we spent not as a whole family - as my sister K has moved to Vancouver, so we were missing her presence the whole weekend.
Saturday: Christmas morning began early (as it always does). we woke up, opened presents, and then after cleaning up, we had our traditional eggs benedict for breakfast. then, my parents went for a walk, and my sister and i watched Sex and the City 2. We waited for K to call. Once we had a chat with her, people started showing up for dinner. Dinner at our family events are a combination of a feast, 18 conversations, and playing 3 comedy-genre movies at once. People wonder why I am the way I am, but I have learned that my ADHD has been a fantastic coping mechanism for fitting in, in my family! People think we're joking, but in reality, everyone who comes to a family event (as it seems to work as a test for future relationships) sits in shock and awe the first few times. We are an extremely close knit family, and we have a lot of fun.
Friday: we packed up everything for Christmas (including our gifts), and drove to peterborough to my gma's house. last year was the first year that we spent Christmas Eve at our grandma's house - it makes thinks less hectic on Christmas Day. and even though it's nice to sleep in your own bed, it's a blessing every time i get to spend a day with my gma - and watch her enjoy life. Unfortunately this was also the first year we spent not as a whole family - as my sister K has moved to Vancouver, so we were missing her presence the whole weekend.
Saturday: Christmas morning began early (as it always does). we woke up, opened presents, and then after cleaning up, we had our traditional eggs benedict for breakfast. then, my parents went for a walk, and my sister and i watched Sex and the City 2. We waited for K to call. Once we had a chat with her, people started showing up for dinner. Dinner at our family events are a combination of a feast, 18 conversations, and playing 3 comedy-genre movies at once. People wonder why I am the way I am, but I have learned that my ADHD has been a fantastic coping mechanism for fitting in, in my family! People think we're joking, but in reality, everyone who comes to a family event (as it seems to work as a test for future relationships) sits in shock and awe the first few times. We are an extremely close knit family, and we have a lot of fun.
knitting with the cousins
we worked on the food - turkey, ham, potatoes, carrots, turnip, tofurkey, 3 kinds of stuffing, 2 kinds of gravy (dinner with vegans and vegetarians can get complicated), and finally the nearly 30 of us sat down to eat. we gorged ourselves on food - photos to follow - and then ate desert that none of us needed. we then found a movie - as the 'kids' always go out to see a movie on Christmas night - and headed to the 10:10pm show of the fighter. Amazing. Go see it.
Christmas dinner with part of the gang
Sunday: woke up fairly late (11 ish), and then after taking some major pain meds, went to the mall for some seriously slow boxing day shopping. it took twice as long as normal, but we were successful in getting some good deals. i also got to spend some time with my cousin, and then at the second mall, with my friend elise - my lisey doll - who i donned with at laurier. it was so great to catch up with her.... the last time i saw her was at homecoming. when we got home, my grandma had 'cooked' (aka. ordered chinese food), and we had yet another family dinner... it was awesome. my cousin then picked me up to go out for the night - we went to her friend's house, then to two bars where we met 2 more of my cousins - her brothers. it was a great night to hang out with them... they were like my brothers when we were little, and i love spending time with them.
3 of the brothers.... from left, my dad and 2 brothers
it was a fantastic weekend with my family... i'm so lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful people.