24 Days of Christmas: Day 24

Date: 2009.12.24 | Category: Faking the Joy | Tags:

I thought I’d give you a peek at what Christmas looks like around our house.

Today we’ll work until around noon. Lee will pick me up and we’ll go home. We’ll clean the fridge out of any leftovers for lunch so that we’ll have room for other leftovers. Then we’ll clean and iron the tablecloth and all kinds of fun stuff like that. I’ll start Christmas dinner prep by making cranberry sauce and brining the turkey. I’ll shower and dry my hair. We’ll order Chinese food and my in-law’s will pick it up on their way to our place. We’ll eat (thus beginning the gorgefest that is Christmas). Then everyone will sit around and watch tv or play Wii. I’ll go back and forth between the living room and the kitchen because I’m still doing Christmas prep (roasting extra drumsticks to use along with the giblets for gravy, making the sweet potatoes). Sometime around 11 will pile into one car and head to mass. We’ll do mass (meaning they do mass and I mostly observe in my role as non-Catholic). We go home, foist the leftover Chinese food on my in-laws because there is no room for it in the fridge and head to bed.

We’ll roll our of bed around 9 (most likely). I used to get out of bed much earlier on Christmas day because we used to eat around noon when I was growing up. However we did not go to mass when I was growing up thus were physically capable of getting up at 6 or 7am. We’ll start the fireplace and put on Christmas music. We’ll open stockings while having a cup of coffee. Stockings are *always* first. Then presents. Then Lee will clean up while I start fretting about what time to put in the turkey. I’ll finish making the stuffing. I’ll set the dining room table. I’ll fret about whether or not it’s time to put in the bird. Yes, there is a theme here. Much fretting about the bird! If I remember I’ll watch the Queen’s Christmas Address (though I’ll probably forget, I usually forget).

Around 1, by which time the turkey is most definitely in the oven, MIL, FIL, BIL and SIL will arrive. More presents. After presents there are snackies. There will me a movie or tv or Wii or they’ll sit around and chat. I will mostly be in the kitchen, fretting over the bird. (Or perhaps hiding because I’m not used to having so many people in my house and it is sometimes overwhelming.) My FIL will peel potatoes and someone else will do the carrots. I’ll check on the bird and baste. Eventually it will be time to start cooking the sides. The turkey will be done. I’ll make gravy. We’ll sit down to eat. I’ll remember I forgot to put something on the table. We’ll eat some more. We’ll do coffee and tea and dessert. We’ll create piles of leftovers for people to take home. We’ll collapse in the living room while Lee and FIL do the dishes.

In the middle of all of this Piper will sit in everyone’s way and hiss.

Eventually we’ll feel like we can move again and people will start to head home. After they leave Lee and I will change into our pjs and moan about how full of food we are and then fall asleep on the couch.

And that is Christmas.