How was your Christmas Holiday?

Let's hear the scoop?
Weird this year, better, worse, the same?

In our neck of the woods, we celebrated Xmas eve with some limited family.
Christmas was just immediate family. It was quiet, nice and probably one of the most relaxing
Christmas's I can remember. We had a great meal, but it wasn't fussy.

I love friends and family and have had very large holiday gatherings in the past. They are fun and exciting, but
they are also a lot of work and a lot of stress. It was nice to have a year away from that. A very quiet time.
It was also very nice not to have to deal with extended relatives and the stress, arguments, and feelings that brings.

There were times I felt guilty about that because I know some relatives are alone. It also had me reflecting about
friends and relatives that have passed. Life is short, we have to do better. We have to be better to each other.

It also got me thinking about what Christmas has turned into. Too much stuff, too much food, too much everything.
Maybe slowing it down is a good thing, a great thing. This year reminded me a lot more of my youth and how we had
Christmas.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Mine was pretty good. Only had to warn everyone there, "If you get tested positive for the COOF and you give them my name and a contract tracer shows up at my door? Fear me more than the COOF!".

Honestly, it was probably the best Christmas I had in the last decade.

Was actually low-key and relaxed and I even got pleasantly surprised with a gift, I normally don't expect and presents and my family went out of their way this year to get me something special that I didn't know I was getting ahead of time.

We just had the immediate fam around, but that's normal. Our extended family celebration is this coming weekend over New Year's. So this week is the prep week with the baking and the wrapping and all that fun, mad stuff going on.

a reply to: ketsuko

So this week is the prep week with the baking and the wrapping and all that fun, mad stuff going on.

Year before last we had 40 people over. I went crazy with food and actually we had way way too much food left over.
You never know how much people will or won't eat so I always try to have more than enough.
Then dealing with the mountain of trash when it is all over...

a reply to: JAGStorm

I hope everyone had a great time.

I told my lot to just get me chocolate. It got a bit out of hand and I now have kilos of the stuff.

I've built a cov proof chocolate fort. I'm thinking that it should keep me "safe" until at least March when I'll have eaten my way out.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I have tanned about 6 bottles of whisky about 30 beers and loads of bob hope . pretty normal year



ps the dog was sick as hell with all the turkey he ate

What Christmas? Christmas is when the family gets together and eats and talks. Zoom is like talking to your TV. Talking to a TV is not socializing. You cannot cross examine your family members when they tell you a fib on Zoom. You cannot discuss how to fix a problem with your adult kids with your brothers and sister on zoom when everyone is on the page. No going out to the garage to look at a tool and talk without others hearing what you are discussing on how to fix a problem with your kid.