Merry Christmas!

I have to say, I had just about as good a Christmas as possible without my family being here. On Christmas Eve, we took Mykull to the airport (I love going to the airport on a holiday, even if I'm not going anywhere), and then my son sang in Duke Chapel in the early evening communion service which gave me my opportunity to belt out Christmas carols. Then we came home and had some beef stew which I had made in my crockpot - I think the secret is to use the cheapest beef possible and cook it for like ten hours or something. Then one of my neighbors came to visit, and after he left, we read 'The Night Before Christmas', and sang 'The Twelve Days Of Christmas' and made each other laugh. And we put out milk and cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer (even though he's way past Santa age, we still like the ritual). I know it sounds so friggin' wholesome, but I love it.

Then on Christmas, my son was absolutely delighted with his Gamecube, and his new game. A friend of mine who has just returned from Hong Kong came over and we had a pretty good meal - roast capon, mashed potatoes with Boursin, roast parsnips, brussels sprouts, orange-cranberry sauce with Grand Marnier, stuffing and gravy, and I also made some wild mushroom-roasted garlic-truffle tartlets because she is vegetarian. We just had a nice conversation while we ate, and then we all ended up playing with the Gamecube which was fun. And all the dishes were cleared and in the dishwasher by 6:30, while I had a nice cup of coffee with rum and cream.

And now I'm stuffed and sleepy and warm and happy. I hope everyone else had as good a Christmas as I did!