Tuesday, December 24th - Christmas Eve
I had to work on Christmas Eve. I actually had to go into the office on Christmas Eve because the day before my work laptop had a critical error and I needed to swap it out with IT. I was super annoyed because it just made for a longer day than I wanted it to be. It took a little less than an hour and then I spent the rest of the morning getting caught up because Debbie and Devon were on their personal leave day.
During our UR meeting the day before, it was made clear that I was going to do part of Debbie's work but apparently, people change the plan without letting people know. Both Tammy and I got in trouble from our supervisor because she failed to communicate with us. I really felt like I was being gaslighted and almost put in leave and went home for the rest of the day. Instead, I vented at lunch time since I was literally the only one in the cafeteria that day.
I went back to my desk, finished up with what I was responsible for with UR and then switched gears into my afternoon DJA work. 4:00 could not come any sooner. I was so done after that morning incident, but I was able to get what I needed done before logging off and enjoying the next two days not having to work.
It's been nice that Erika and Zac agreed to host Christmas Eve the past few years. Ben and I having to do both of them was getting rather taxing. I sent an email to everyone earlier in December to set aside dates and times that we were getting together, what was on the menu and who was responsible for bringing what item.
I grabbed my stuff and headed out to the Escape. I had enough time to go home before having to go over to Erika and Zac's house. The plan for the last few years is a taco bar since it is easy to make and easy to feed a bunch of people. I brought gluten free taco seasoning and taco shells. Erika made the burger and provided the cheese, Grandma brought lettuce, Mom brought some desserts and tomatoes, and Doug and Sonya brought chips and salsa. We all brought our presents for the gift exchange too. Mom gave me the two breakfast casseroles for tomorrow.
Ben and I drove over, parked and brought everything in. Erika and Zac don't have an actual Christmas tree instead they used the small one with LED lights that we bought for Grandpa while he lived at Bonaventure. We piled all the presents under the little tree as best as we could.
We ate tacos, hung out, Brian was passed around and yelled at the dogs for begging and being in the way. We were able to get a family picture even though Brian wiggled around and the dogs weren't paying attention. We got organized and started handing out gifts. Every year I try to get everyone at least one thing they can use or enjoy. I had a bunch of Grandpa's flannel shirts, and I thought it would be great to make them into pillows and give them to my siblings for Christmas. I plan on doing that with Grammie's shirts too.
We helped Erika clean up and put the leftover food into containers. She thanked us all for coming and we all headed home to get ready for the next day. Ben and I had a bunch of stuff left to do since I was forced to go into the office earlier that day because of my laptop. Why did it have to malfunction near the holidays? Ben and I headed home and got as much stuff done as we possibly could before we went to bed. We did go to bed later than we wanted to because 8 am was going to come fast.
Wednesday, December 25th - Christmas Day
The alarm went off at 8:00 and I got up, got ready and put the breakfast casseroles in the oven since they needed more time than cutting up the muffins and getting the fruit ready. I had to force Ben to get out of bed and help me. I finished up the decorations on the tables since we don't trust the cats to leave them alone overnight.
I got the plates, cups, silverware and napkins on the table as well. Around 8:45 people started to arrive with boxes of presents to stick under the tree.
We were running out of room fast and had to be creative. By the time the food was done everyone was there. I put everything on the table and told everyone that food was ready to be eaten. A frenzy of people made their way into the kitchen and to the dining room with their plates. There was plenty of food for 13 people.
We all sat down, ate and enjoyed the many conversations that were had. Ben and I should find ourselves a highchair so Brian could join us at the table and not have to be held when everyone is eating. The food went fast, and many got up for seconds and even thirds. I just had one plate of food because I didn't want to be stuffed. I am glad I didn't have leftovers I had to find homes for. Trish and Amy helped out with the dishes. We started the dishwasher so it would be done before dinner.
We all got ready in the living room for stockings and gifts. Trish decided she wanted to be Santa this year and started handing out the gifts. We all opened our gifts and saw what each other got. Then we threw balled up wrapping paper at everyone. It's been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. Of course, everyone aims for people's eyes and faces! We pile a bunch of wrapping paper on Brian, and he had a great time squealing and moving his hands and legs.
We got out our garbage bags and everyone started helping clean up the huge mess of wrapping paper. Even Wade came out to see what all the commotion was and even played in the mounds of boxes and wrapping paper. Everyone gathered up their presents and extra things they brought with them and started taking it out to their cars. It alleviated the clutter in the living room, and we were able to put the dining room table back together.
Before people left we took some photos of everyone in their Christmas outfits. We tried to get different groups of people and groups of what people wanted. It was hard to get Brian to look at the camera, but we managed to get a few good ones.
Some people went home for a few hours to get ready for dinner, some stayed, and Doug and Sonya went to go hang out with her mom for dinner. I washed the napkins and fabric table clothes. I got the ham ready to go and got it into the cooker for 3-4 hours. The rest of the stuff we were responsible for would have to be done as it got closer to dinner time.
Mom, Dad, Grandma, Erika, Brian and Zac went home for a few hours. Trish, Jean, Amy and Ed stayed since they lived further away. They played card, dice and marble games and once the NFL games came on, we streamed those. As it got closer to dinner, I had Ben and his mom help with peeling the potatoes. I started the gluten free gravy and the green beans. Trish put the buns in the oven with about 15 minutes left before dinner. Erika, Zac and Brian showed back up. We finished up the food, Ben got the ham all cut up and got it on the table. I had Trish set the table with plates, silverware, the clean napkins and glasses.
We let everyone know food was done. Everyone grabbed their plates and piled food on it. We sat down and talked about random things while we ate. The food was tasty, like it always is. Very few people got up for seconds. It's always weird when people are missing from the table, like it has been since 2018, and holidays will never be or feel the same.
When we were done eating, we spent some time clearing out the dishes, putting them into the dishwasher and relaxing with card games, marbles and dice - for those who wanted to play them. Some watched TV and passed Brian around and some just chilled on the couch. The pies and desserts were brought out and people grabbed a slice or two when they felt like it.
As the evening wore on, it was getting late, and Brian was starting to get crabby. Everyone thanked us for hosting; hugs were given out and everyone went home. Ben and I spent some time putting the rest of the food away, putting the table and chairs away, vacuuming and wiping everything down. We relaxed for a few hours before going to bed. I was happy to have the next day off. I need some sleep.
Next Adventure: NYE and New Year's Day
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