Christmas Pud

Christmas Day at Home
Like most other families, my Christmas wouldn't be complete without assembling toys with wordless instructions, drinking a fair amount of South African wine and Jack Daniels, and yelling. It felt like home.  Natalie enjoyed everything about the abundance of elfin charity...he really was a jollyold elf for the kiddo.Three story dollhouse, complete with dolls and furniture, coloring books, playdough and clay, Sylvanian cow family and caravan and My Little Pony etc and puzzles ad nauseum. I'm really hoping that she remembers this Christmas because this would be a great first Christmas to remember. My thanks to everyone who helped make this a great Christmas for the kiddo. Really. She's really happy and using her imagination in ways I hadn't seen yet.

I woke up first and was the ONLY one awake. Nat SLEPT IN!  It was nice having an hour to have coffee and read before the kid(s) woke up. When she did finally make it downstairs, immediately made a beeline for the house and she ignored all the lovely and might I say, gorgeously wrapped presents. Someone spent a lot of time wrapping those. I keed. Yeah, she ignored everything (read: us) for about twenty minutes and then eventually got around to opening a present. And then she wanted us to open them for her. This is so not my kid.

By the time it was time to get ready to leave for Brian and Ruth's house for Christmas dinner (1 pm) she still had several presents unopened. It wasn't like there was a bazillion presents... she just took her time with each one. Like I said, not my kid. No, I shouldn't say that... I've got the c-section scar and it's the holidays and all. She played with each toy before moving on to the next. The toy that got the most giggles out of her was the Toy Story Woody doll... the one with the removable hat. This Woody knows when his hat's missing  and when he's wearing it. She quite enjoyed tormenting Woody by giving the hat to him and then snatching it away. Tons of giggles. So I guess she really is my kid.

Christmas at Ruth's
Who wouldn't want to spend part of Christmas Day at the Hostess with the Mostest's house? Ruth is awesome! She put on the traditional English Christmas dinner: turkey, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, mashed turnips,  roast parsnips, cranberry sauce, steamed carrots, steamed Brussels sprouts with minty peas, Yorkshire pudding, GRAVY. And Christmas crackers. Yes, we wore the dinky, embarrassing, fun paper crowns after pulling the crackers... all through dinner. And I tried sherry! And I hate it!

I ate everything. Almost. But so worth it. I took the placename cards for our seats at the table. Have to have tangible momentoes, people.

Ruth's mother, Sue, and her mother's 'partner' Dave were there along with Dave's mother, Elsie who will be 100 in May...Lord willing. Elsie was really alert and with it the entire time. A little deaf but to be expected when we get that old.

I had a hard time keeping it together when Sue spoke. She's a very sweet, warm lady...used to be a Home Economics teacher. She just happens to talk like Terry Jones when he impersonates a woman. And given that Brian's name is Brian... well, I was a very good girl. I may have snorted enough once that I got a look from Sue and Dave but Dan says he didn't see or hear me be inappropriate.

And then there was Harvey. Ah, Harvey. I wanted to take him home... a big gentle yellow tub of a mixed-breed dog. When Harvey left to go home, Brian was all sad like. Me too. Harvey treated my feet like a well appreciated pillow. He was a great dog, only farted once.

And then there was Christmas pud. Pudding is not pudding like you, my fellow Americans, know pudding. This is not Bill Cosby pudding. It's pud, or dessert.

Sue: "Brian..." {I struggle to keep from quoting Monty Python} "...requested an Amaretto cheesecake for his Christmas pud."

Me: "Oh, what an interesting combination."

Sue: "Yes, since there's no recipe for Amaretto cheesecake, I've had to make it up."

I almost vomited in my mouth a bit but again, I'm on my best behavior.

Me: "Is that so?"

Sue: "Mmm, yes. So I asked him before I started baking it if he wanted it in the base or in the cheesecake part. You know, the amaretto? And he said yes. So it's a very rich cheesecake, lots of alcohol. Would Natalie like some jelly? I think you call it Jello?"

Me: "Sure. She likes jello."

It wasn't jello. Because Ruth and Sue are vegetarians, they don't keep gelatin around. So the jello wasn't jello, and the cheesecake wasn't your normal cheesecake.

But that cheesecake was the best cheesecake I've ever had and I really don't like cheesecake. And the traditional Christmas Pudding was pretty good too, and I don't like fruitcake either. It had brandy custard to drown it with. Aaaaaaah.

As we're eating, the Queen's Christmas Day Message comes on and since we're in the middle of eating, no one stops to go to the telly. Instead we turn on the radio to listen to it. You can read it for yourself. I was amused by the link that was created between King James VI of Scotland and the recent Paralympics...

And because Ruth is class, she had pressies ready for us after dinner. A Peppa Pig book and color pencils for Natalie and an assortment of tea for us. And because Sue is class, as she is Ruth's mum, she had a pressie for us too! A nice bottle of a French red. Wine is her thing and she remembered that we liked wine from the first time we met.

I'm so happy that I got to spend the day with these people.


Boxing Day at Low's
It has been a long (but not really long) time since we've been able to spend time with Paul and Sonia. Paul's been traveling for work and Sonia's time is taken up by her job's extra duties (Form Tutor) as well as being mom to Melissa. So it was a lovely surprise when Dan asked if I wanted to spend Boxing Day with  the Lows. Paul picked us up because, lovely of lovlies, the damn buses don't run on Christmas Day OR the day after, Boxing Day.

There was another couple there who have a son the same age as Melissa, @ 18 months. Natalie didn't really play with the two, but she entertained herself just fine as usual.

The Lows made salad and mini-baked potatoes for lunch. Now, Sonia's French and Paul's Australian, so this lunch seemed to be a really interesting combination of the two cultures... They set up an indoor electric raclette in the middle of the table. There was sliced onions and peppers, deli sliced ham, prosciutto, and salami, and a soft cheese to melt and put on the potatoes. The organization and activity of this meal was the best part of the meal. Until the pud came out. It was a Christmas Log, which is this chocolate cake with vanilla cream and chocolate frosting that's rolled up. Looks like a Swiss roll.

I WANT A RACLETTE! Seriously... I haven't had that much fun eating since I ate a deep fried Oreo at the Texas State Fair in 2003 or 2004.

The Lows also had a present for us and one for Natalie.   I feel like a schmuck, because I didn't have anything for R&B and I didn't have anything for S&P. Yeah, yeah... I know that I don't have to get people presents just because they get me presents. But I also know that I have to get people presents who give me presents and I because happen to like those people. I just wasn't thinking clearly.

So, summary:
Good Christmas? Yesh.
Want to come home? Yesh.
Hate it here? Sometimesh. And having increase in the frequency of black episodes.
Miss people? Shure.
Bored? Oh dear God, yes.
Hungry? Yup. Imma go see if there's pud.