The festivities began with a family party at my house on
Saturday afternoon. It was quiet and relaxed, which is preferable because the
following day is usually buzzing with excitement. We sat around chatting,
taking pictures, and preparing a yummy dinner including – my favorite –
kielbasa.
Dessert followed up dinner and included my favorite sprinkle
cookies from the bakery in my parents’ hometown, where my aunt and grandparents
still live. At that point the rest of the family – my uncle and his family –
joined us with three more plates of dessert, including my aunt’s famous cream
puffs. Holy sugar overload, batman.
Despite planning to leave for Erik’s house by 7pm, I didn’t
pull out of the driveway until 9pm. The drive flew by and the next thing I
knew, I was reunited with my love after more than a week apart (which sounds
like nothing, but when you normally see one another twice a week, that’s a long time). Once I settled in, we
exchanged gifts, cuddled while watching TV, and then fell asleep.
Morning came quickly and I was very excited to wake up, as
evidenced by the fact that I was up at 9:30 and had to wait (almost like a
little kid) until Erik decided to get out of bed at 10:30. Everyone had a delicious
breakfast; I had cereal because I can’t eat a lot in the morning. Then we
settled around the tree and I played Santa and handed out gifts. After that I was on my way out the door and heading home to
quickly shower, get ready, and put together a brownie trifle for our second
family party. It took longer than I expected – I’d taken a half-hour head start
from Erik and when he arrived, I was still not dressed – but luckily my hair
and makeup don’t take long.
Seventeen people for dinner = one long table & disposable plates.
We arrived at my aunt’s house with plenty of time until
dinner. I had time to breathe as I helped with dinner preparations and then we
all sat down to another delicious meal. Then it was time for pictures and
gifts!
Me and Lynds. Best friends!
Erik and I, yay!
All of the 'kids' - me and my cousins, along with Erik and family friend, Brian.
The rest of the evening was spent catching up with family members and
noshing on a huge variety of desserts. We – Erik, me, and my brother – ended up staying last and
having a three-hour chat with my aunt and cousins over various family issues.
It was exhausting and a bit emotionally draining; when we arrived home, I was
in a poor mood and thankfully Erik was here to comfort me.
It was such a fabulous weekend. I saw almost all of my family,
got to spend time with Erik’s family, and spent the entirety of Christmas Day
with Erik. I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas.
