BEFORE AND AFTER CHRISTMAS 2009

Well, it’s all over for another year, however, and we are enjoying a peaceful morning at home, listening one more day to pretty Christmas music, before it’s put to “bed” for another year!”

Here are a few shots leading up to and of course the big day itself.

This is Dundarave, and at the end of the seawall. Every year the business there have a tree set up with some very beautiful, some whimsical and some very commercial looking trees, but all very lovely. I’m just sorry we didn’t get down when the lights on the trees where lit, but there may be time yet. Also, the main Street of Dundarave, has a pretty decorated tree in front of each business. It’s beautiful and so Christmas looking. I am always amazed that nobody ever steals, what are some very lovely decorations, but they remain on the trees for everyone to enjoy. No one is a Grinch around here!!

Don’t you just love the one from the foot clinic and the top of there tree, out stuck to bare feet!!

Now, here’s a story! Here’s Tom and his sister Isabelle. Isabelle is a tireless, fabulous cook, and she always makes something for Tom. She should never tell Tom, she’s baking anything at all each year, because he pesters on the phone, everyday, leaving these long drawn out messages on their phone, asking if she has the door locked tight, are the window’s locked, can anyone get to their balcony, can anyone steal his goodies!! It drives Isabelle and Ken nuts with these messages…including myself, and Tom knows it, but LOVES to bug Isabelle. Still some brother and sister teasing going on here big time!!!

Here is the BIG presentation, and finally much peace for Isabelle and Ken!! What a big kid Tom can be!!

This is the shortbread, very unlike my shortbread, which after he heard Isabelle was making some, told me not to bother making mine, as he didn’t like it as much as his sister’s who had the recipe handed down from his mother. After all….what’s better then those old good recipes eh? Instead of my cut out shortbread, these are made BIG and you break of pieces. It was delicious!!!

Here is the next part of the presentation! Homemade Christmas cake!! Two big cakes she gave him!!! I think there is much love passing back and forth here, as well as goodies!!

And two jars of homemade marmalade as well.

Poor Isabelle, she made the mistake of telling Tom he was also getting some of her suet pudding, so she won’t hear the end of that, until he has it in his hot little hands!!!

Thank you Isabelle and Ken!!

I gave a Christmas gift to myself, and had my eyebrow’s and eyelashes tinted! This is after it was done. My eyelashes, where there, but so fair you couldn’t see them, and the lighter my hair goes with age, the less colour my face has, so I took the plunge, risked being allergic to the tint and voila….I look now like a tart! Every time for the first two day’s, whenever I passed a mirror, I’d want to reach for a wash cloth and wipe it off my face, but it doesn’t come off….for a month or so! So, now, I’ve gotten use to it, and I guess this is me!

DECEMBER 25, 2009

I suppose very old habit’s are hard to lose, because, like Christmas night, as every Christmas night that I can remember, sleep was a fitful, close to the surface, type of snooze, as if the body is timed for this special day to arrive and the excitement, although, I wouldn’t admit it, still lingers.

However, as Santa zipped around the Universe through the night, I must of drifted off after both eyes gave up the hope of catching him in the night sky, and was woke with the ringing of the telephone. It was Christmas morning, and time for the excitement of hearing my family from Ontario, which is a gift of itself!! What is Christmas without family, and just hearing the voices of those I love so dearly is a gift beyond anything! Being with them would only be better, but not possible for the time being.

So, first my brother and sister in law and then my sister, and then my nephew, and then my daughter and her husband, my other daughter and her husband and my two granddaughters, then my two grandsons, my son in law, and his family and friends.

My voice was dying! On with the day!!

We opened our presents from Ontario and I got this lovely green cape like jacket, (favourite colour) and nifty, and trendy scarf from my daughter as well as other things. I love it Lisa and here’s a sneak preview. Tom is NOT a photographer though, so this is the best I got of it!

We drove to Ladner, where Tom’s son and family live, and where everyone had gathered for Christmas breakfast! Delicious and so much to choose from!!!

Santa, in the meantime, has finished for another year and gone South for a well deserved vacation! Here in Vancouver, we spent more fun family time.

This is Meredith (Tom’s daughter) and his two grandchildren Heather and Ed, and his Great-Grandson, Byron. So much fun having a little one around at Christmas, but I think next Christmas, he’s going to really understand what Christmas is all about and will be tearing into gifts with gusto!!!

He was having fun with his Aunt Meredith, rolling a tangerine back and forth and catching it.

After full bellies, everyone sat around just visiting. There is Tom, and sitting side by side is Dave (Meredith’s husband) and Kevin, (Heather’s husband), and….get this…MY Daughter-in Law, Joan. (She sometimes, call’s me her EVIL STEP MOTHER-IN-LAW!!)

But I know we really love one another!!!

This is Kim (Ed’s lovely wife) and Meredith and Martin

Grandma, helping Byron open another gift. He’s such a very cute little boy, and so smart!

All those brand new toys, and is favorite place to be is on Papa’s knee, playing with the I Phone, that Byron, knows how to operate. He hasn’t called China yet!!!

Joan, relaxing finally! Kevin, playing with his son’s toys, and Byron, getting all bundled up to head home for a snooze.

Here, Byron, has been taught like his Uncle Ed to slide down the stairs, so Byron is surveying the big slide down to the bottom as we stood around waiting for this amazing feat!!

On the way down, he yell’s…E..D..D..I..E………!!!!

A W A Y he goes!!!!

So, after a wonderful morning and afternoon of more eating, more chatting and some laughter, we had to leave to head to our next invitation (How lucky we are!!) We have been invited to Bill and Dianne’s for Christmas dinner. YUM! YUM!

This is Billy and Amy, Bill and Dianne’s children, and Tom, as we sat around enjoying a drink and good chatter and laughter!

Dianne, busy, cooking! How does she prepare Christmas dinner in such a clean kitchen? Also, another guest Maureen, and further below, Billy and Amy trying out a Snuggy!! Somehow, I missed Sarah, who is Billy’s wife, who was also there. We discovered we had the common practice of eating a slice of old cheese on our fruit cake…delicious! The table is beginning to fill with delicious and wonderful smelling dishes!!!

Bill off to be a good host and get somebody, something!! What a good host he was too!!

What can I say????????? A delicious, wonderful meal and we all got left-over’s to make a turkey sandwich the next day! How great is that???

Thank you Martin and Joan for a wonderful beginning and Bill and Dianne for a wonderful end to December 25, 2009.

A wonderful Christmas!!