The Christmas holidays are officially over and sadly it’s back to the grind today. Despite my best intentions to relax during my 12 days off, I am returning to work feeling more weary than when I started my vacation. To say that I’m exhausted would be an understatement, but despite the lack of sleep and blatant holiday overindulgence, I had a fabulous time with family and friends.
Christmas dinner was an immense success and I’m still reeling over the fact that everything turned out as well as it did. I am happy to report that earlier aspirations to “pimp my bird,” resulted in a new recipe that I’ll happily use again in the future. I opted for a homemade apple/pecan stuffing and apple-glaze gravy, both which turned out to be just the right degree of “tasty” without being too crazy. My only slight hiccup was the fact that I burnt myself badly on a hot casserole dish, rendering my hand virtually useless for most of Christmas day - not the best way to start off the preparation of a huge feast for eleven people. Thank the Lord that I have a husband who isn’t afraid to jump in, get messy and take orders from a VERY flustered drill sergeant / wife. Okay…so it wasn’t the most relaxing or enjoyable day for Daniel and I, but the end result was worth it when everyone was seated around the table, replete with yummy food and holiday cheer. We survived our first Christmas dinner, we lived to tell the tale and I will happily and readily pass the torch on to whoever wants the task next year!
Aside from Christmas dinner and many long hours in the kitchen, Daniel and I were fortunate to meet up with several friends over the holidays. It’s not often that we get to see the out-of-towners, so it’s nice to make the most of having everyone in the city at the same time. I had a lovely dinner at a restaurant with one of my bridesmaids, her hubby and their “baby-to-be” and we also had the opportunity to entertain some friends for dinner on their 1st wedding anniversary. When hubby was out at a poker night with the boys, I was also able to throw together an impromptu girls night with two of my old buddies from high school that I haven’t seen in ages. We had a fabulous time reminiscing and catching up on our lives. I was very glad to share some time with old friends, especially seeing as one of them is moving down South next week to pursue her Masters and live with her fiancé who is a classical pianist and professor at the University of Texas…some gals have all the luck, LOL!
This year we kept things relatively simple for New Year’s, with a spontaneous gathering of a few friends at our place for some drinks and games. Hubby managed to snag a new toy for the X-Box, called Rock Band. Although I’m not really one fore video games, even I will even readily admit that this is pretty awesome, not to mention an excellent party game. The name pretty much explains it all: the game comes with two guitars, a drum kit and a microphone that all plug into the gaming console. You form a band and play along to rock music by hitting notes that are displayed on the screen. We had a riot and couldn’t stop laughing at ourselves; of course the fact that we were fuelled by alcohol probably didn’t help. I’ve heard howling dogs sound more in tune. I did make sure to film the band in action, but I would never be mean enough to post it on YouTube…at least not yet! You never know when you’ll need incriminating evidence!
The final day of the holiday was spent nursing a painful migraine and wine-induced hangover, followed up with the O’Brien family New Year’s Day dinner at my parents’ house. I felt kind of bad for my mother because most of us around the table were still suffering the effects of the previous night. It made for a fairly lifeless crowd, be we soldiered on bravely and drank more wine to toast the new year. It’s a hard life, but someone has to do it!
So there you have it, the Cole’s Notes version of my Christmas holiday. Even the recap makes me feel exhausted!
I hope that everyone has a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. This year, I will endeavour to fulfill one of my resolutions by writing more and continuing to bore you all with my wacky antics…luck you! Happy 2008 and thanks for reading!
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