Christmas this year was very laid back, which was nice. We left on Saturday to go to my sister’s (Gabby) and her girlfriend (Amy) house. It was mostly just the four of us. Amy’s brother, Jason, came over on Christmas Day. It was the first time we met him, and he was very nice. He’s a pet person, too.
We left a little later than we originally planned to on
Saturday morning. Our friends Cathey and
John have been dealing with a lot. He
has Alzheimer’s and recently went into a care facility. Unfortunately, he was in the hospital with
COVID and pneumonia over Christmas. Cathey
was exposed, so was in quarantine. We
stopped to get Cathey some flowers and a little grocery store care package
(orange juice, Christmas cupcakes, hot chocolate mix, tea, and some canned
soup) and dropped it all off on her porch.
The good news is that John recovered well from COVID and pneumonia, and
Cathey didn’t get sick.
Despite leaving a little later than we planned, traffic on
the way to Gabby and Amy’s wasn’t bad. We
took a different route this year due to road construction, and it was a good
choice.
Gabby likes to cook as much as I do, so we had tons of
food. She made a chocolate and
strawberry cake for Nick’s birthday on Christmas Eve. She also made cookies, several different
kinds of soup, pistachio cake, and cheese grits. We ate well!
I forgot to take any food pictures, though.
We got to pet six of their eight cats. Their cat Severus slept with us two of the
three nights we were there. Doesn’t he
look like such a distinguished gentleman in this picture?
Severus is a relatively calm cat, so they’re able to put
hats on them. I think he’s adorable in
his hat.
Here’s a picture of Binx enjoying the couch I crocheted.
This is Kreacher. He’s
normally a little stand-offish with us, but we both got to pet him quite a bit
on this trip.
The four of us agreed early this year that we wouldn’t do
birthday or Christmas presents for each other this year. We’ve all been dealing with pets having a lot
of health issues, which has been expensive and stressful. So, we decided it would be much easier if we
all skipped presents for each other this year.
It definitely helped with the laid-back vibe. We did watch Arthur Christmas
as usual. It’s just such a happy
movie.
Nick and I were talking about it on the drive there. We both like that some years there are so many
presents, some years we skip them entirely, and some years are somewhere in between. I’m not sure that any of those would be great
every year, but I like that we get to do them all, depending on the year. I guess that’s one good thing about growing
up not celebrating any holidays; I’m not locked into a lot of traditions.
Speaking of traditions, though, I did get to fulfill a
life-long wish. I loved Barbies when I
was a kid. They were my absolute
favorite toys, and I especially loved the ones in the fancy ballgowns. I always wanted the holiday Barbies but was
never allowed to have them since they were for the holidays. I didn’t know the ornaments existed, but I
absolutely loved the gowns the holiday Barbies had and was always disappointed
that I couldn’t have one. I kind of
forgot about the holiday Barbies by the time I grew up and started celebrating
Christmas.
Amy was never into Barbies, but her great-aunt gave her a
holiday Barbie ornament every year until she passed away in the early 2000s. The ornaments are special to Amy because they
came from her great-aunt. This is also
Amy’s busy time of year at work, so she never got around to putting the Barbie
ornaments up. They had a little tree in
the living room that was going to be the Barbie tree.
The Barbie ornaments still weren’t up by Christmas Eve, but
Amy knew that Jason would be happy to see them when he came over on Christmas. So Gabby and Amy decided that I could be in
charge of the Barbie tree. I had so much
fun! As Gabby put it, I was in the corner
with the little Christmas tree, living my best life with lots of Barbie ornaments. I kind of feel like I did get a Christmas present.
Isn’t the Barbie tree cute?
Here are a few of the ones I really liked.
I ordered the 2023 Holiday Barbie ornament that night. I’m planning to get the Barbie ornament every
year now.
Our wonderful neighbors took care of the cats for us while
we were gone. It’s so nice that they take
care of them because they don’t just feed them and give them their medicine. They spend time petting them and playing with
them, and they always send us pictures.
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| Caroline |
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| Charlie |
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| Frankie |
How was your Christmas?
Were there lots of activities, or was this a more laid-back year for
you?
That Barbie Tree is really fun, and we love that it had such special meaning for you. Exciting that you'l l be getting the Barbie ornament every year moving forward. :)
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear Cathey and John are going through so much with Alzheimer's, and then COVID and pneumonia on top of it all. Good news that John is okay and Cathey did not get sick. It was so nice of you to make up that care package!
Your time with you Gabby and Amy's sounds like it was great. 6 out of the 8 cats letting you pet them is a great percentage. Sevreus is a handsome dude, for sure!
And to know your kitties were so loved and taken care of while you were away is a good feeling, right? Glad it meant you could enjoy your time away.
Hugs!
I agree kevin..I meant to say I was impressed that 6 out of 8 allowed pets and lovins. And yes, Severus was quite distinguished looking. With his hat, he cast a Frank Sinatra aura!
DeleteWe celebrate early so that our children and grandchildren can have their own family traditions. We both came down with horrible colds by Christmas Eve and sat in our recliners with blankets and tea. I do have a Barbie Tree! There used to be a Hallmark store by our library, where I worked and I would buy an ornament every year (after Christmas, when they went on sale). I found a glittery gold metal tree at Big Lots and it holds ten ornaments. I started with 1993, so I guess the final one was 2003 :). Your celebration sounds perfect! Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you had such a good time - especially with the Barbie tree. The laid back vibe sounds perfect. Because of illnesses, be still have our major celebration to go - probably this weekend. It should be laid back, too. :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a lovely Christmas and it warms my heart to hear that you were able to watch over Cathey as well. I think this year has been an odd, sometimes sad or at least bittersweet holiday for many. I'm so glad you could celebrate and be happy.
ReplyDeleteI remember the holiday Barbies from when I worked at the evil toy store (now defunct, sort of). For a time I was in charge of the collectible Barbies. There were a bunch of people who collected them. I'm sure you can see those collections places if you were so inclined to look for them.
ReplyDeleteMy Christmas? Alone, in my room, watching holiday episodes of old procedurals. I was sick. Sigh.
I loved EVERY line in your blog. Every line nd every word! Thank you for a lovely start to my day. And btw, never knew about Barbie ornaments. How wonderful. SO glad you have reliable and good step parents for the cats when you are gone! Enjoyed reading about the differing present levels through the years. What a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a Barbie ornament, but I love a themed tree like that. We have a Snoopy tree, which is my fave.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t get to enjoy the holidays this year, but that’s ok. My grandkids had a fun day and that was what was important to me.