Thursday, December 26, 2019

Christmas recap (YAY, we lived through another one)

 

We survived another Christmas with enough relatives (all his) to populate a football team, but the wonder holds:  even with six little kids galloping about (the oldest is about 8, the youngest is 3), everyone seems to get along extremely well.  No sulks in the corner, no grumbling,  no fussyness.

The kids have now progressed enough to be interested in 'group games' and play them with a great deal of shouting, but no howling. Major diff, there.  It's fun to watch them change from infants into kids, one holiday at a time.  The youngest one marched right up to me and gave me the best knee hug (well, he's only three, he's still pretty short) I have ever had, with  a great grin on his face.  He's the Happy Kid,  loves to laugh, and I suspect he will be the future 'good guy' in school. 

There are three layers: Grandparents, parents, and kids.  All even spaced as to age, so none of one group is stuck in neverland, not really fitting in anywhere.   I think that helps.    I realize that now we are the oldest in the bunch, by several years, and if we had had kids,  they would be too old and too young for anyone there. That's a hard place to be in. And they would have had kids who suffered the same strange dichotomy. 

It's always a fun day,  if exhausting, and even though all we did was eat and visit, today I am barely up to anything, beyond coffee and filling the woodboxes. (Maybe it's time to give up the idea of 'someday' having one last Christmas here.) 
Posted by mittens at 5:45 PM

11 comments:

  1. Ms. Moon12/26/2019 8:34 PM

    Christmas is simply exhausting. That's all there is to it.

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    1. mittens12/26/2019 10:22 PM

      which is why we go out, rather than hold it here. We haven't done the gifts-and-cards-and-tree thing in maybe twenty years, and while I always enjoyed decorating, it's no fun if no one sees it.
      And i loved having dinner here. Had it down to a science, and it was fine with five or six people. But the thoughts of trying to serve up enough food (even with everyone contributing) for 20 people is horrifying. And as big as this house is, I cannot imagine housing 20+ people for a meal. The logistics would be scareee.

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  2. Boud12/26/2019 11:31 PM

    My Christmas is a lovely meal with my son, shared tasks. Minimal decorating, major relaxing and eating and chatting. So much better than the crowd scene holidays I endured growing up. It's a luxury!

    That said, for people who love the crowd and noise and atmosphere, great. Just not me.

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    1. mittens12/27/2019 10:44 AM

      Since I'm relative-free, they seem quite comfortable enfolding me into the group. And my husband grew up with his cousins, so he's familiar with them and easy.

      I enjoy the commotion, he doesn't, but he takes it in good humor and sleeps it off for a day or two.

      We are off the hook now until Easter. =)

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  3. Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe12/26/2019 11:40 PM

    Glad that you had a good Christmas Day. I love the day and all the chaos, then all I want to do is sleep.

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    1. mittens12/27/2019 10:47 AM

      Oh I do too, as long as it's not chaos of my own design, and I can back out at any point. I must admit to a long nap and an early bedtime, and I think in another day I'll probably be back to what passes for normal.

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  4. Boud12/27/2019 3:06 PM

    I blame the food... it's wonderful and there's too much available!

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    1. mittens12/27/2019 3:47 PM

      That's my only sticking point. With that many people involved, a formal sit down dinner is nearly impossible, so it becomes a buffet, and often unrecognizable as to what food that might be.
      It's more about quantity than quality, and usually a disappointment. Someone suggested I might like to try a new appetizer this year, kale soup. I said no, no, not kale. Not ever kale.

      The desserts, however, are marvelous. One of the younger women has turned into a true pie maker, and another does things with cheesecake, so I can be sure I'll not starve...=)

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  5. Unknown12/30/2019 8:21 AM

    It seems you had a good Christmas holiday. Same here. Just with family and no pressure

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  6. netablogs1/01/2020 7:31 PM

    The older I get, the simpler I like things. Less rather than more decorations, spending the day with family, caring in some small way for those who have less than I do, and minimal gift giving. I love Christmas, just not the commercialism!

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    1. mittens1/01/2020 7:42 PM

      I always enjoyed shopping, doing the tree, even having dinner. But hey, you get older, life needs to be simpler, I think. I have no family left (my reward for outliving all of 'em) and my husband's family, his cousins and their offspring are burgeoning, and generous with their time and their energy.
      Good people. The sort of people you wouldn't mind having as neighbors.

      I also realize, as you do, at this stage less is definitely more than enough. If we did have outside lights, it would have to be for the planes overhead, since no one can see us from the road.

      Interesting concept there. 'Merry Xmas" spelled out in artfully draped lights across the fields...

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