That's a wrap
Dec. 26th, 2022 09:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livWith my OSOs out of Covid quarantine, we were able to have a proper family lighting for fifth candle Thursday evening.
I made latkes as promised; there was a bit of a misunderstanding because I made enough for a meal for the people present, but it turned out I was supposed to have made enough to save leftovers for breakfast the next day. I don't actually like latkes except piping hot fresh from the frying pan, so it didn't occur to me that leftovers were desirable. But I'll know for another year. And I caught up on five days worth of presents for the children; my stickers and silly hairbands were particularly popular with the 2yo.
I stayed over and worked from home at the big house for the last working day of the year. Finished off the task I'd promised by close of play, and had a productive handover meeting with the last of my team still working. And various animals and toddlers came to share my chair and adults brought me tea and it was generally lovely. We had time for a game of Quacks of Quedlinburg whichjack and I recently acquired and were eager to share with OSOs, before I came home to make shabbat and light sixth with jack only a little bit late. (The official time is before 4 pm this late in the year.)
Saturday was very me, really; I went to synagogue to read the Torah portion, a fun one about Joseph and his brothers. I watched my friend's 2yo while friend read the Chanukah reading about Zechariah's vision of the Menorah. And actually there weren't many fewer people in shul than a typical shabbat, but the atmosphere felt relaxed and slightly demob-happy. We sang many many sections of liturgy TTTO Maoz Tzur. Then I came home and started on Christmas dinner for me andjack.
Menu: We had baked camembert as our centrepiece, with roast potatoes and parsnips (the latter all for me cos J doesn't really like them), yorkshire puddings, spiced red cabbage with chestnuts and apple, shop-bought vegan pigs-in-blankets and stuffing balls, and onion gravy. We drank most of a bottle of quite nice prosecco, then took a break to watch some of Netflix Wednesday before tackling a steamed ginger and butterscotch pudding (also bought) for dessert. We didn't bother trying to find room for starters or cheeseboard, keeping other seasonal treat foods for later in the week when we might actually have an appetite. Somewhere in there we made havdalah and lit seventh candle for Chanukah.
And Sunday morning we headed over to OSOs for their Christmas lunch. We helped a bit with the cooking to make up for people still getting over Covid, and opened many many many presents and had a lovely relaxing day. 2yo is just about old enough to actually understand giving and receiving presents, so that was particularly endearing. Menu was a traditional roast turkey with trimmings, including a vegan ersatz bacon-wrapped turkey crown for the veggies. After a break and opening more presents we concluded with proper Christmas pudding which was very satisfactorily set on fire. And we lit eighth candle of Chanukah and sang just one more round of Maoz Tzur. For those of us still awake into the evening we had a really hilarious round of Taboo.
Todayjack and I enjoyed a proper traditional (un)Boxing day: leftovers for brunch, a walk in a pleasant little nature reserve just outside Fulbourn, and unboxing our new games. This year we treated ourselves to the Australian expansion for Wingspan and Arboretum on the grounds that the bad reviews of it made it sound appealing (too much player interaction, apparently).
Tomorrow I will turn 44 and I have no plans at all. Open some more presents which are specifically labelled as birthday rather than general festive season. Hang out withjack, maybe try our newly acquired raclette grill, an appliance we've had our eye on for a while. I might organize something more social when I have more energy and more people are around and it's warmer so that outdoor or well-ventilated gatherings are more appealing. Or I might just skip my birthday this year and enjoy a day with no expectations.
I made latkes as promised; there was a bit of a misunderstanding because I made enough for a meal for the people present, but it turned out I was supposed to have made enough to save leftovers for breakfast the next day. I don't actually like latkes except piping hot fresh from the frying pan, so it didn't occur to me that leftovers were desirable. But I'll know for another year. And I caught up on five days worth of presents for the children; my stickers and silly hairbands were particularly popular with the 2yo.
I stayed over and worked from home at the big house for the last working day of the year. Finished off the task I'd promised by close of play, and had a productive handover meeting with the last of my team still working. And various animals and toddlers came to share my chair and adults brought me tea and it was generally lovely. We had time for a game of Quacks of Quedlinburg which
jack and I recently acquired and were eager to share with OSOs, before I came home to make shabbat and light sixth with jack only a little bit late. (The official time is before 4 pm this late in the year.) Saturday was very me, really; I went to synagogue to read the Torah portion, a fun one about Joseph and his brothers. I watched my friend's 2yo while friend read the Chanukah reading about Zechariah's vision of the Menorah. And actually there weren't many fewer people in shul than a typical shabbat, but the atmosphere felt relaxed and slightly demob-happy. We sang many many sections of liturgy TTTO Maoz Tzur. Then I came home and started on Christmas dinner for me and
jack. Menu: We had baked camembert as our centrepiece, with roast potatoes and parsnips (the latter all for me cos J doesn't really like them), yorkshire puddings, spiced red cabbage with chestnuts and apple, shop-bought vegan pigs-in-blankets and stuffing balls, and onion gravy. We drank most of a bottle of quite nice prosecco, then took a break to watch some of Netflix Wednesday before tackling a steamed ginger and butterscotch pudding (also bought) for dessert. We didn't bother trying to find room for starters or cheeseboard, keeping other seasonal treat foods for later in the week when we might actually have an appetite. Somewhere in there we made havdalah and lit seventh candle for Chanukah.
And Sunday morning we headed over to OSOs for their Christmas lunch. We helped a bit with the cooking to make up for people still getting over Covid, and opened many many many presents and had a lovely relaxing day. 2yo is just about old enough to actually understand giving and receiving presents, so that was particularly endearing. Menu was a traditional roast turkey with trimmings, including a vegan ersatz bacon-wrapped turkey crown for the veggies. After a break and opening more presents we concluded with proper Christmas pudding which was very satisfactorily set on fire. And we lit eighth candle of Chanukah and sang just one more round of Maoz Tzur. For those of us still awake into the evening we had a really hilarious round of Taboo.
Today
jack and I enjoyed a proper traditional (un)Boxing day: leftovers for brunch, a walk in a pleasant little nature reserve just outside Fulbourn, and unboxing our new games. This year we treated ourselves to the Australian expansion for Wingspan and Arboretum on the grounds that the bad reviews of it made it sound appealing (too much player interaction, apparently).Tomorrow I will turn 44 and I have no plans at all. Open some more presents which are specifically labelled as birthday rather than general festive season. Hang out with
jack, maybe try our newly acquired raclette grill, an appliance we've had our eye on for a while. I might organize something more social when I have more energy and more people are around and it's warmer so that outdoor or well-ventilated gatherings are more appealing. Or I might just skip my birthday this year and enjoy a day with no expectations.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-12-26 11:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-12-27 11:47 am (UTC)Happy birthday!
(no subject)
Date: 2022-12-27 02:09 pm (UTC)And glad you've all had time together, despite everything.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-12-28 11:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-12-30 01:20 am (UTC)I really like the Oceania expansion of Wingspan, though it's /very/ differently balanced.