2 days after McKim-Mas Charlotte, Jackie, Stephane, and I, all went to drop me off at my Mom’s house...and to have a little lunch and had an unexpected visit from one of my family’s old friends, Alma’s lobster plant’s ex-owner Jim Wood and Stephane, Jackie and Charlotte got to meet them while having Dr. Oetker’s veggie and spinach pizza. My housemates each got an SPCA Moncton Pet Calendar. After chatting the rest of the house left and I stayed for the Christmas Holidays! The house had its tree up with the lights on but no presents yet. There was also the small wooden Christmas tree Dad had made me in 1999 after Molly’s arrival, the statue of Flick with his tongue on a flag pole from A Christmas Story, a model of Ralphie’s house in A Christmas Story, a small replica of the leg lamp from A Christmas Story, and Christmas books all over.
I brought a couple New York movies to remember last year: Home Alone 2, and Sleepless In Seattle, in fact purchased last year at the Empire State Building where Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks and Tom Hanks’s character’s son finally meet in the end of the movie! (See full story in New York Blog) We visited Jen, Brian, and the boys Danny, Pacey, Connor, and Brennan who was home from Mount A for the Christmas Holidays, who had their Christmas tree up with LED lights, but no presents under the tree yet. They had their Christmas books out, including Jennifer’s publication Gadzooks the Christmas Goose, a collection of stories including the above story, and a collection of stories including an entry by Jennifer called Of Waiting Rooms and Russian Blues.
This year, unlike past Christmases, I not only peeled apples for Mom’s Apple Pie, but I also made the crusts AND reminded her to use the extra crust for Christmas-shapes on the top of the pies.
Mom also made her traditional shortbreads with the red and green cherries on top.
As a tradition we watched Christmas movies like Elf, (also set in New York) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story.
When Christmas Eve FINALLY arrived, (one more sleep till Christmas!) Stephanie, Glen, and Mo, (their Coton de Tulear, Lupin’s grandson in fact) arrived at noon hour and we had Lasagna tonight, which Stephanie called “Fa-la-la-la-la la-la la Lasagna!” After supper we watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Stephanie asked for my e-mail password and changed it.
On Christmas Morning, I opened my stocking. In it were Old Spice Timber deodorant, a DVD that had 17 Again and Hairspray, an Herbal Essences travel-sized shampoo, Olay vanilla-scented body wash, Orange San Pellegrino, and cheesies.
We had our traditional Breakfast Burritos, which we have every year on Christmas Morning.
Then my family started looking for and calling Ella and thought she had wandered somewhere, got lost, and/or gotten into some kind of peril! I thought it was flyer time. This continued while I was downstairs, and somebody got me to look downstairs for her, and though I didn’t hear any dog crying sounds or claw scratching sounds, I looked into the room next to Dad’s workshop with the laundry sink...and there she was.
When the presents could finally be opened, I opened Stephanie’s 2: a set of fizzy drinks and a book created by Stephanie about last year’s New York Christmas.
Then I opened some of Mom and Dad’s to me: DVDs Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy, Mist: The Roundup, Mist: The Great Challenge, Mist: A Helping Paw, and Project X starring Ferris Bueller’s Matthew Broderick at his teen age. Among the traditional gifts were a Dogs Annual and a Border Collie calendar.
Mom also conducted a treasure hunt leading to a small keyboard which I kept seeing in stock at Shoppers Drug Mart when getting the mail with Mom. The first song, seeing as it was Christmas, was the Charlie Brown theme. I also played My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music.
Erin got me another subscription to National Geographic Traveler Magazine.
Melody got me a novel called Understanding Border Collies.
Jennifer got me a cool book, called Finding Momo, about a Border Collie who travels across Canada and the United States, and it’s like Where’s Waldo because you have to find him because he likes to play hide and seek.
As an added bonus, Stephanie got me to come up while I was watching Hairspray... and gave me her I-Pad! Her office gave her a new one and she gave her old one to me along with its charger. Now I could use Face Time and Scrabble against the computer, email, and instant message.
When suppertime came Jennifer’s family, including Brian’s father Ron (who had lost his wife Loretta and I went to the beautiful funeral mass near Halifax), all joined us, including Mom’s Aunt Pat, who had lost her husband Bill. I had the turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce (which dad sometimes dubs “Cranberry Sarce”), turnip, and Jennifer’s Sweet Potato Casserole, which I make several times at McKim House, using the family cookbook with the pictures. I also had one of my sparkling drinks with supper.
When dessert finally came I announced that, as previously stated, unlike last year, I not only peeled the apples, but made the crust as well.
I had even peeled the potatoes and the carrots for the Turkey Dinner.
Some had plum pudding with hard sauce, but, as a tradition, I chose Mom’s Apple Pie with Breyers Vanilla Ice Cream.
I went to bed looking forward to seeing the new Star Wars movie now in theatres with the Kents and Stephanie and Glen...
But on Boxing Day morning Stephanie, Glen, and Mo, had to go back to Halifax as they were forecasting most of Atlantic Canada to get a huge snowstorm.
Nonetheless we saw Star Wars and it was gripping and tense.
I was both preparing to jump and wishing Stephanie and Glen were there to watch the movie with Glen wearing his Star Wars shirt.
Next day it started storming, but my Mom and I took a walk in Mapleton Park, Mom with Sprocket on leash, and me with Ella on leash, and it made me think of the time I carried Linus in that park during that storm (Remember that, Erin?).
When we got back to the car we were just about to go from the park to Sobeys and Shopper’s Drug Mart...when we ran into our friend and dog-sitter Caroline, now taking care of a coonhound, and Ella started crying excitedly and started licking Caroline’s face.
After a long chat we got in the car and went to Sobeys to get a few groceries and to Shopper’s to get the mail, and noticed on the way home some cars had the wrong tires, making the common misconception that the term “all season tires” means the tires cover all 4 seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter, and were spinning and having trouble down the now snow-covered roads.
I played Scrabble with Mom and won by playing a J on a Triple Letter Score, an X on a Triple Letter Score, SUQ on ZAGS for a Triple Word Score, and a few 3-, 4-, and 5-point letters on Double Letter Scores.
When I got home I continued Hairspray...when Mom came down and invited me to come with her and Dad to a Miracles’ home game at the Moncton Coliseum, though it was still storming, but this was one of few early birthday celebrations for me. Though they lost by turning the ball over and making poor shots, we had fun.
Early Birthday Gift
Next morning Mom went to the gym...while Dad and I went to Champlain Place, not only to find a battery for his now 30+-year-old Swiss Army Watch, but to find me an early birthday present, and I was surprised that he took me not to HMV...but to the watch department of Sears...and bought me a Timex Analog watch with 3 dials, date, and chronograph.
I took a picture with my BlackBerry and shared it with my sisters and later Victoria at my house.
That afternoon Mom and I AGAIN took Sprocket and Ella to Mapleton Park...and ran into Caroline and the Coonhound AGAIN for the second day in a row and Ella started crying and licking Caroline’s face again and we chatted again. We proceeded with the walk and went home.
That evening we had an early Birthday celebration supper.
Next day there was another storm and Jennifer joined us for a Scrabble game and I beat her!
The next day I packed, headed to the bus station...and headed home with my I-Pad, new watch, new movies, and new books, magazine, and calendar to bring home. And I got home safely!