living like a local: Christmas 2013

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Christmas 2013

My, my, Christmas has come and gone. Well... it might not have entirely made its way from present to past - there are leftovers in the fridge, Christmas goodies to be eaten and even a few presents under the tree yet to be opened. There was stormy weather and ice ice ice, there were power outages and presents galore - add food, family, fresh snow and voila, it's a year to remember! Plus, it was the first time that Hendrik left goodies for Santa and his equine crew; on Christmas morning he crept out with shiny eyes to see nanaimo bar crumbs and chewed carrot stubs, and watching him put it all together was more than a little bit magical.

the night before and the morning of - plus stocking contents, below!

Hendrik's stocking on the left, Alana's on the right

In the Brinkman family presents are usually exchanged on Christmas Eve, so we - the big kids - decided to follow tradition. After a candlelight service at church, we put the kids to bed, fixed ourselves some drinks and got to it. From my secret santa (we drew names for gifts this year) I got a few books (The Silver Spoon and Crafts for Kids) and a recipe box (thank you Freddy!) and a surprise mega-gift from Steve - a weekend away! This weekend. Away. No kids. Eeek! I opened a gift bag and pulled out a very old pair of flip flops and a bathing suit - cue confused look on my face..... but there was an envelope that explained all. We'll make our way to Niagara on the Lake's Pillar and Post tomorrow afternoon, and we won't come back until Monday - ! My first reaction was that I'd miss Alana - after all, I've spent just one night away, and we are somewhat attached at the hip. But..... it will be good for both of us and I'll get to read and work out and hang out with Steve and sleep! I'll get to sleep. It. will. be. fabulous. SLEEP!

new slippers!

Okay, now to Christmas day. The kids awoke and we opened stockings - Hendrik loved the books (we had to read them as we opened) and his Brontosaurus periscope and his Canada gloves (and more I'm sure)... there was mucho in there - Santa's sleigh was full of toys for these kiddos. After breakfast they opened a few more presents, with highlights being, for Alana, a new baby with a crib, bottle and pillow and blankie (from my parents) and for Hendrik a new car (from Auntie Erin and Uncle Fred), play-doh (G-parents B) and.... ? There were so many gifts that I'm drawing a blank. Pam and Bob showed up for the Annual GGG (Gift Grab Game) with gifts for the kids - a Cabbage Patch Kid for Alana (and a pink Leafs shirt) and a hockey net and set for Hendrik, and the trucks and Jenga (for H) and books and apron set (for A) from Aunt and Unc were also a hit. There were presents galore (from us: books, a stroller for baby) and there are even more under the tree..... can we just save them for next year? Hm. Maybe.

with bob and her new CPK (with whom she shares a birthday!) and in her new chef's kit

our girl.... so adorable!

So, presents aside (/piled up everywhere), we had the GGG here with goodies and coffee and then appetizers - plus a charged round of Left-Right-Center (Steve won $24) - and then made for the Tukkers for a feast: turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, brussel sprouts, broccoli, stuffing, buns, green bean casserole, tutti frutti (see 2nd paragraph here), red cabbage, mashed potatoes, applesauce, corn, and then sticky toffee pudding for dessert. It was delicious! Probably one of the best turkey dinners I've had..... yum. The kids did a great job of staying awake and keeping happy, and Hendrik entertained the crowd with jokes and stories (though we're yet to hear the "flipsy-flopsy" story). Man oh man am I ever thankful for the people I have in my life, and that includes family in Vancouver and Denver, and too, our friends around the world - many of whom find themselves far from family at the end of the year. I have more on my mind and more to write about, but I'd better get to the photos and save something for the one last post that I might have time for this year... and then it's 2014, eeeek!