Things were a bit hectic at first. Paul and I borrowed a car from Paul's mom and drove to Edinburgh to see some friends. It was a lovely night in with some absolutely delicious lasagna, good wine, and comfortable conversation. We also got a few presents and I took a little nap (see pictures below). All I can say is that I LOVE this cuddly chair!
Paul had a bit to much cider, but otherwise it was a good, relaxing break. Unfortunately we couldn't stay longer because of family obligations, but it is always good to call on friends when possible.
The next few days passed together quickly. Paul and I had dinner with family, we visited Durham (and a place where they filmed Harry Potter!), I saw the Angel of the North, and we did a bit of shopping/movie watching. As I said before, Paul and I don't get a great deal of alone time, so it was a nice little break.
Before I know it it was Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve for me normally consists of going to our family friend's house, the Hawkins, for an early family gift exchange, egg nog and brandy, and good company. I get to see everyone I haven't seen all year, and it is a great time to catch up. After one too many glasses of wine, some of us stumble, er, walk to church for midnight mass. I LOVE singing Christmas songs, so I join in for all my favorite ones, and enjoy the company of my second family. After services I make it home to sleep - luckily the church is right across from my house.
The next morning I get woken up by excited family members singing me annoying songs (Good Morning! Good Morning! The little bird says!) Then we all troop downstairs. We open our stockings filled with chewing gum, toothbrushes, floss, socks, and sometimes chocolate. Santa cares about our dental health. Then we find all the presents that are under the tree and distribute them one by one to each person - so we all have little piles of presents. We take turns opening presents, trying out the new things, exclaiming with excitement. Then when all the presents are opened and Shelby is happily chewing on a bone, we do the Kircher Family Christmas video. We tell about what we got, new things that happened in the family, and make bad jokes. Then mom makes breakfast and dad and I start on the Mimosas. I absolutely love my family and I love my Christmases.
This brings us back to Christmas Eve of this year. About 8:30 we met my brother-in-law, Mark, and his girlfriend, Stephanie, at a pub. We had a drink there before it closed. We then wandered around for a while trying to find something open. We had no luck and decided to take a taxi home. On our way, we saw several open bars. We stopped the taxi driver and had a few more drinks together. Around midnight Paul and I said goodnight and went home. After spending a few minutes stuffing each other's stockings, we hung them up on the hangers in the hotel room then went to sleep. The next day was Christmas!
We got up in time to have breakfast at the hotel. Not the best breakfast I have ever had, but it was better than nothing. It was then time to open some presents, so we hurried back upstairs to open our stockings. Paul had thoughtfully given me a toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, gum, and a few other little treats. I got Paul similarly small things - a flashlight, a shirt, shaving oil, chocolates, etc. In a few minutes the Christmas opening was done.
We took our own little Christmas video, then there wasn't much else to do. Paul napped and I finished the book I was reading. I watched The Family Stone - a Christmas movie I watched with my mom a few times. By the time the movie finished it was time to go and meet with Paul's family.
We showered and headed out, arriving a bit late, but still in time to help. I cut a turnip and Paul prepared the brussel sprouts (as he asked, "Does anyone even LIKE brussel sprouts?") Before we knew it, dinner was ready and it was delicious.
I have never really had a big Christmas meal - Thanksgiving is traditionally the big meal of the year. I got to open Christmas crackers and I Skyped my parents. We even took a little picture together!
After food we played a bit of taboo. Mark, Steph, Paul's mom and dad and gran were all there. The game was fun and before we knew it, it was almost 11pm. Paul and I said our goodbyes and took his gran back to her home before heading to the hotel. We were all tuckered out too. So not the usual Christmas, but still nice.
We spent boxing day (a national holiday!) shopping, drinking, watching another movie, and meeting Steph and Mark for one more round of drinks.
On our last day we visited an old friend of Paul's who has just recently had a baby. After a few glasses of bubbly wine we said our goodbyes and headed off to get ready for the big family party.
Oh did I not mention this? Well because we got married in America, it was very difficult for all of Paul's friends and family to attend. Instead we had a little gathering with everyone to catch up and celebrate. It was nice to have everyone all in one place so we didn't spend our entire vacation going back and forth between homes visiting. I caught up with his cousins, aunts and uncles, and met some new people. It was a great night but I was pretty exhausted by the end of it. Paul and I went home to pack - it was going to be an early morning!
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