Christmas 2012 Retrospect

Oh my goodness.  The holidays -- so long prepared for and anticipated.  Then here and gone in a flash.

I had holiday pictures to post and the best of intentions to craft meaningful, organized, coherent posts about our holiday revels.

Yet, here it is.  January 3.

It didn't help that my mother was in the hospital right before Christmas (was home in time for the holidays) and I spent a lot of the week between Christmas and New Year's helping her catch up on bill paying and other tasks, and then I came down with the flu last weekend and have been sick all week (this is the second time I've ever had the flu, the first time being 8 or so years ago).

But, I've been fever-free so far today -- and how can I ever move on with the new year if I don't get Christmas finished with here?  So here goes:

Christmas Day was a tri-part event this year, beginning with morning gift openings and stockings with Cree and Hannah (home from first semester of college), and our special Christmas breakfast of a breakfast casserole and yogurt parfaits.

some "gifts" I bought myself earlier in the month and wrapped up to open xmas morn

Then around mid-day our oldest daughter came over with the grandkids -- more presents and stockings for them.

Ari and Dora look just alike!

Ayday was thrilled with dinos and a v-tech

Throughout the day I cooked and prepared for the big Christmas Dinner at our house -- this year there were 14 people to sit down at dinner.  I think in the future we may need to re-think how this is all handled, because spending Christmas Day preparing a full sit-down dinner for 14 was not exactly enjoyable or relaxing -- but that is a rant for another day.

We got the dining room (and foyer) set up to seat 14 people somehow -- no easy task!

At dinner time, the foyer annex/overflow/"children's" table, was christened the "Young Professionals' Table".

It held Cree, Hannah, Hannah's boyfriend, my youngest sister's 10 yr old and 3 yr old daughter's, and my other sister's daughter, who lives and works in London when she is not visiting here at Christmas.

Back at the Old Fogeys' Table, I can't find a good picture to include -- there are pictures, but everyone is looking grumpy, stressed, or is otherwise very seriously applying themselves to their meal.

Part way through the meal, my youngest sister remembered that she had actually never remembered to wrap anyone's presents or to bring them over so she jumped up and went to her house fetch the forgotten gifts, and we all forgot to do the Christmas Crackers (supplied by my other sister and her husband).

The final festivities occurred when my sister returned and we convened in the family room to do the Christmas Crackers and exchange gifts.

It was good we didn't do the crackers in the dining room!  The contents (marbles and other hard objects) went flying out around the room with great force -- I think there would have been breakage and injuries if we had done them in the dining room!

And then, the day after Christmas -- we have some snow!

Farewell, 2012!