Christmas Eve and Day

Since I "opted out" of Christmas cards (for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was lack of energy!), I put together the card below for distribution by email.  It was a whole lot more enjoyable than doing cards and tells the story of our holiday...decorating the front porch, baking, etc  The short sleeve shirts attest to the mildness of our weather and the hat is a running gag, which we both enjoyed.  Mama would wear it when she took Smokey out for a walk and I wore it for my walks, which gave the neighborhood a giggle based on the toots and waves I got!  It reminded me of the Christmas Day Run back in Abqaiq.....the fun and silliness we had!!  Those were the days.
As mentioned in the last post, we did drive around to see the Christmas lights in the community, and I was surprised at what my mother couldn't see......the Christmas tree in Bluffton town square, etc. I thought the lights in contrast to the darkness might be something she could enjoy, but not so. Very sad! I think she does a wonderful job of "compensating".....and I want to believe. So it works for both of us in a sad kind of way. In any case, we made the most of it. Any of the musical events that we used to attend each year begin too late in the evening, so that has left a hole in the activities of the season. Not a lot is happening during the day!

Ready for the Christmas Eve Service.

Christmas Eve was a fairly relaxing day, with a little cooking in preparation for Christmas Day. In the morning, we made Mama's Potato Salad and I made a vegetable Wellington, which always surprises me that it turns out so well! We then showered and dressed for the 4PM Christmas Eve Service at the. Lowcountry Presbyterian Church. It was nicely done and a good time to hear and participate in the traditional Christmas music. Mama enjoyed it, though it wore her out.

Christmas Day started with trepidation.  I had gotten up at my usual time to tend the kitties and have a quiet coffee.  Allan called to wish us a Merry Christmas and as we were talking I noticed that Mama had gotten up.  By the time the conversation was over, she was back in bed......and I was left wondering if that was an omen for the day!!  About 30-40 minutes later she was up and came down the hall saying, "Yo-ho-ho!".....so she was in the Christmas spirit!  She opened her gifts over breakfast.....a crystal bracelet (which you can barely see in the photo) and a talking watch.  She liked them both, but the watch was the big surprise as she didn't know they existed.  She seems to really like it and I keep asking her what time it is, so it's been a lot of fun.

Before Christmas she asked me to take some money from her account to get something for myself for Christmas.  At that time, I really didn't need or want anything......then, I dropped my camera on the tile floor and jammed the lens.  I could get the photos off, but I couldn't take photos.  So, she said to apply the money to a new camera, which I did.  Wow, how cameras have changed since my last one!  I spent the same as on my old camera, but this one has 14.5 mega pixels rather than 6 and 18X zoom.  But that's just the beginning....it is "fool proof" BUT...it has WiFi and can move photos to my computer wirelessly.  I can also email them straight from the camera, as well as apply all kind of affects, scenes, filters, frames, picture in picture, you name it.  The picture below was composed by the camera......the photo I took is of the Merry Christmas cross-stitch scene on my mantel.  The rest of the scene was done by the camera!!  It's amazing.....and has provided hours of entertainment already. 

It's a Samsung......not what I expected to buy.  But, as I checked them out, it seemed the best for the price AND I know they are the major competitor to the iPhone, so  the technology is good.  So far, I've very impressed.

Back to Christmas Day....after a late breakfast, we finished lunch preparation.  Not the traditional fare, but something that pleased us both.  My mother is a meat (if I insist!) and two veg person, and the vegetables are 2 out of 5 that she will eat.  I had the vegetable Wellington, which is easier that one would think, looks wonderful......and slices perfectly. The one tradition we upheld is that we had more than we could eat!

The remainder of the day was quiet. We called a few relatives and received calls from a few.  All in all, it was a good day, for which I am grateful.  I think Mama really likes her watch and it has made life a little more normal for her.....and that pleases me. 

It was a Meowy Christmas for everyone!

And we hope it was a Merry Christmas for you, too!