A White (hot) Christmas…
Christmas 2005 appeared and for the first time I would not be with my family on the actual day. I was a bit apprehensive about this, would I be miserable without them I wondered. The previous Christmas had been the best I’d had in a long time. It was the first time in probably 10 years that our Jaki and I had been at home for Christmas Eve; we shared the blow-up-bed and did more giggling than her 8 and 6 year old kids. It was me and Jaki who were up first and in a flashback to our childhood, ran into our parents room at around 6 am, jumping on the bed and asking if Father Christmas had been. Mum thought it hilarious dad was less impressed! So this year waking up in our villa with just me and his nibs in the house would be a bit strange for me. That said, we had made a big deal, our tree looked wonderful, though the Quebecois Christmas tunes his nibs played when we decorated it did not get me in the festive spirit, more folksongy than Slades’ ‘It’s Christmaaaaaaaas’.
We’d been invited to Jo’s for Christmas lunch; she had a houseful, more the kind of day I’m used to. Due to the numbers she had, everyone had been asked to bring something and we’d been tasked with the ham. His nibs took this on with his usual gusto, he was making coca-cola ham, cranberry sauce, traditional Quebecois ketchup and god knows what else. We spent a couple of days in the kitchen mostly me cleaning up and pealing, you know I’m not up to much else! Jars and jars of ketchup and cranberry sauce were produced, the ham was soaked in coke and crusted with breadcrumbs, my only contribution to the cooking, the rather large measure of Grand Marnier in the cranberry sauce; this may be my first Christmas in Arabia but it would definitely not be halal!
After a quiet morning relaxing and of course opening our pressies, we loaded the car and headed to the mad-house that was Jo’s. Lunch was amazing, even if Mags cheated by getting a local hotel to deliver the turkey stuffed, cooked and sliced! Several hours later after too much very good food and wine his nibs and I headed home, once there I enjoyed the usual Christmas day family movie; this year the Wizard of Oz and after skipping around the room singing ‘We’re off to see the wizard’ I collapsed into that other traditional Christmas pastime; a drunken stupor on the couch. Why was I worried? It was just like a very warm version of every Christmas I’d known!
Jo enjoying a glass of wine outside, the masses dig into their lovely dinner...
We’d been invited to Jo’s for Christmas lunch; she had a houseful, more the kind of day I’m used to. Due to the numbers she had, everyone had been asked to bring something and we’d been tasked with the ham. His nibs took this on with his usual gusto, he was making coca-cola ham, cranberry sauce, traditional Quebecois ketchup and god knows what else. We spent a couple of days in the kitchen mostly me cleaning up and pealing, you know I’m not up to much else! Jars and jars of ketchup and cranberry sauce were produced, the ham was soaked in coke and crusted with breadcrumbs, my only contribution to the cooking, the rather large measure of Grand Marnier in the cranberry sauce; this may be my first Christmas in Arabia but it would definitely not be halal!
After a quiet morning relaxing and of course opening our pressies, we loaded the car and headed to the mad-house that was Jo’s. Lunch was amazing, even if Mags cheated by getting a local hotel to deliver the turkey stuffed, cooked and sliced! Several hours later after too much very good food and wine his nibs and I headed home, once there I enjoyed the usual Christmas day family movie; this year the Wizard of Oz and after skipping around the room singing ‘We’re off to see the wizard’ I collapsed into that other traditional Christmas pastime; a drunken stupor on the couch. Why was I worried? It was just like a very warm version of every Christmas I’d known!
Jo enjoying a glass of wine outside, the masses dig into their lovely dinner...
posted by Bev @ 10:50 am
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