Week 52 - My Maniacal Christmas

Monday was Christmas Eve so we got up and got busy. I had my Christmas pudding to make, which steams for 3 hours and is a family must do. I got that going and then we started on the key lime cheesecake for our Christmas dessert. Between the cooking and prep, there was some lovely sitting in the sun in the dining room knitting. It was the first sunshine I'd seen in week because arctic circle then dreary London winter followed by rain in the US. It was glorious!

I headed to my cousin's daughter's for the Pinney family Christmas. It was wonderful, as always, to see my Auntie Margaret but seeing all my cousins was fun too. I gifted some socks, which were well received, ate lasagna for dinner and then headed to John's mom's for my annual Christmas visit. John's stepfather was recovering from a stroke and I was still fighting a bit of jet lag so I left early and even with taking the scenic route through my old neighborhood, I was still home before 9:30. I stuffed Carolyn's stocking and went to bed early.

We'd decided that as adults we didn't need to open presents before breakfast so had a nice breakfast before hitting the living room. It was mostly just stockings with a few gifts under the tree for Aaron. My sister did a particularly good job with my stocking this year. Carolyn always does. It was over in a flash and before long, we were starting on dinner. We gave up on prime rib last year so again went with a tenderloin, which is much easier and still delish. Carolyn's parents and Aaron's girlfriend came for dinner, which we had later afternoon, and it was all good.

As soon as dinner was cleaned up, I headed upstairs to pack because I had to be at the airport first thing on Wednesday. I had actually been worried that I'd not want to be in Rhode Island but that wasn't the case. But once the Christmas festivities were over, I was ready to be home.

My flight to Chicago was uneventful but there was a delay on my flight to Omaha. What had been a princess itinerary with less than an hour layover turned into a longer day. The delay ended up being a couple of hours, which bothered me not at all. I grabbed some popcorn, ate the lunch I'd packed (all yummy holiday leftovers) and knitted in the departure lounge. Unfortunately Anne ended up hanging out at the airport for a bit and the time in the air seemed longer than usual but I made it home the same day so was happy. I had ordered a pizza from Chicago so picked that up at Pizza Hut on the way home. I'd screwed up the order (no pepperoni) but Anne took a couple of pieces and I ate some for dinner and called it good. My neighbor had left me a plate of Christmas cookies in my grill so I had those for dessert. It just felt great to be home after 18 days.

I spent Thursday unpacking and reclaiming my house from the cats being inside for so long. I'd put down extra litter boxes, including 2 upstairs plus 4 in the basement, and puppy pads all around where I thought they might pee. I got them all picked up and the floor spot washed. I also unpacked and did my best to integrate all the gifts and souvenirs immediately. My friend Lorri stopped by that afternoon. When she left, I photographed all the yarn I'd bought on my trip so I could stash it on Ravelry. The day was over in the blink of an eye.

My cousin, Helen, was coming over Friday so when I woke up early (still not 100% on central time), I made banana pudding, sausage/potato soup and put a loaf of whole wheat bread in the machine. We had a nice day sitting in the sun, knitting and chatting. I was falling asleep at 8:00 but forced myself to stay awake in an attempt to be done with jet lag.

I woke up super early on Saturday morning and made breakfast at 5:00 a.m. When Lorri called to see if I wanted to meet for breakfast, I was already getting hungry again so met her at 9:30 for a latte and muffin. We exchanged Christmas presents and chatted then I hit The Warehouse for some produce afterwards. Anne had brought a gallon of milk when she picked me up at the airport so I'd made it through a few days at home but it was nice to get some fresh food in the house.

By Sunday I was finally back on central time and my mission for the day was to have a normal Sunday. That means laundry and chores, which felt like a treat after so long without any routine. I skyped with Canadian friend Eileen, which was a treat, but otherwise it was a regular old Sunday.

I still had a couple of days before I'd have to go back to work but had my New Year's knitters' tea to prep for. All good. It's amazing how good home and routine feel after 18 days away. And while I'd enjoyed the trip, I now know that butting vacation up against Christmas is not something I'll do again. Live and learn.