Almost Perfect
I almost achieved a perfect Sunday yesterday, as I got all my baking done and all my presents wrapped for the second in my Festival of Christmases. I wasn�t rushing at the last moment; I even enjoyed grating the walnuts over my Chocolate Cheesecake at a leisurely pace. That�s rare, my friends.

The snow fell softly in large flakes, causing me to stop loading the truck for a moment and fully appreciate the beauty of it all. It was almost warm without a hint of wind and it was beautiful. You simply must take those moments as they come.

I enjoyed my visit with The Boy�s Mom, and that almost never happens. She wasn�t spouting conspiracy theories or dismissing anything I had to say out of hand or playing the role of the whirling dervish, making tea and buns and pies and gingerbread cookies like a woman possessed. It was relaxed and quiet and just what I needed before we set off to my parent�s house for the festivities.

Even the drive out to the country was pleasant. The roads were greasy, yes, and the snow continued to fall and we took our time with the four wheel drive on but I find when you�re forced to slow down, you notice more. We took a different route than usual on top of it all, so I had the added fun of timing the trip to see if it wound up giving us the gift of time in our sporadic travels to mes parents. Alas, it did not.

We arrived first, which gave me the opportunity to unpack, tuck away boots and coats and scarves, say hi and settle in to my favorite chair with my crocheting. (Some days, I feel about eighty and worry how I�m going to cope if and when I find myself with a child. There�s going to have to be some serious discussion about Dad/Infant time).

Everyone else showed up at staggered times, which is always an excellent way to arrive. Hugs and kisses were exchanged, compliments handed out over choice of sweater or new hair style, drinks were gotten, football scores peeked at and (my homemade) party mix scarfed over rousing discussions on the merits of risking the drive through at Tim Horton�s on a Sunday morning. That�s when the trainees are set upon the poor customers, you see. Our attempts at outdoing each other�s tales of woe caused much mirth indeed.

My lovely cousin Jason regaled us with tales of his trip to Thailand with his wife Jennifer. It certainly sounds like a wonderful choice of vacation, although I absolutely must get Ireland and Australia out of the way first. They are both tall, blond and blue-eyed, and so were the belles of the ball in Bangkok.

The Yankee Swap proved to be quite demure this year with very few �steals�. I must admit, I would have liked to see more strategy. Although, when all the gifts are thoughtful and useful, there�s little need to covet any one specifically.

Dinner went off without a hitch as I once again took up residence at my traditional station; my uncle�s left elbow. He carves the turkey, you see. I believe there�s no better way to eat your portion of the bird than from that vantage point. Things go wrong when you get mixed up with clouds of mashed potatoes, gravy, coleslaw, buns and vegetables. Unadulterated white meat kicks ass.

All in all, it was two thumbs up.

Posted at 10:55 a.m.