On Christmas Eve we had 14 people from the ages of 7 months to 75 years in the house, all hungry and filled with anticipation for what the weekend would bring. Unfortunately my husband had to work and was one of the last to arrive. He quickly jumped into his role as sous chef. Fortunately the menu was fairly simple and much of it was made already.
A few went home that evening but the total head count for the remainder of the holiday was 9. My husband and I slept on the couch, his parents in the guest beds, and his sister's family in the master suite with the children on mattresses on the floor in the dressing area.
Christmas morning the children woke up several times to see if "Father Christmas" found them at our house. Before they made it down stairs we snuck away to the gym for a quick swim and they opened their stockings.
The rest of the day was again filled with food, drink, and presents for all. The after dinner opening took a few hours to get through as the sessions are very slow and controlled compared to what I grew up with. One gift at a time each person watching the others open their gifts.
Boxing day was filled with leftovers after a few of us went to the carol services at Fountains Abbey (see my previous blog post). My sister in law and her family went home that afternoon and the American cats were finally let out of their room to get some exercise.
My husband's parents went home the following morning. I had grand plans of cleaning and starting some new projects, but I spent the day watching movies on tv!
After loads of leftovers have been eaten, the fridge is still jam packed full. Tonight will be a relaxing evening. Dinner tonight, steaks for a change from leftovers. As you can see, we still have quite a few to get through!
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