Christmas

[liv]

Christmas eve: spent a quiet day with jack. Started our Christmas dinner at around 3 pm, didn't actually take much over 2 hours to make the trimmings of roast dinner. These days we don't bother with substituting the roast part with anything vegetarian, we just have piles of roast potatoes and parsnips and Yorkshire puddings and cheese, some cooked and some just for eating.

Christmas day we wrapped a lot of presents and ate some leftovers for brunch, and then headed to OSOs' to join them for their Christmas dinner. ghoti_mhic_uait and her 16yo S made an amazing amazing roast for 10 people. And in between we unwrapped presents and played a bit with some of the new stuff and lit first candle for Chanukah. Which was really lovely, we told quite a few versions of the story and somehow got on to a discussion of Biblical unicorns, for which cjwatson's dad provided a relevant comic song. The older three children are old enough not to get overwhelmed by Christmas or make drama over gifts, and the 4yo is just incredibly mature and patient, so it felt a lot more like a comfortable, companionable adult Christmas than a magical but emotionally exhausting child one.

We also watched Dr Who: Joy to the World and Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance most fowl. I'm not particularly into Dr Who; I have absorbed it from general culture and having fans in the family, and catch up with the Christmas special or a random episode from time to time rather than actually following it. This episode was mawkish as Christmas specials always are, and the plot was thin, but it was really well acted, and Gatwa is the first Doctor I've seen who makes me react, I'd like to see more of this. The W&G is a creditable addition to the franchise but I didn't love it. Possibly because I'm just older and my memories of the earlier features are enhanced by nostalgia, but it felt a bit thin. Some great jokes, both puns and visuals, animation as excellent as usual, but there seemed to be more filler compared to the delightful moments.


I gave:

• Judy Dench: Shakespeare: the man who pays the rent (partner's dad whom I don't know very well)
  
• XKCD What if 10^th anniversary edition (metamour, who asked for it)
  
• A collection of Yehuda Amichai poems in translation, edited by Ted Hughes and Daniel Weissbort (bf, who often appreciates when we come across something by Amichai when we're studying together)
  
• Magnus Magnusson: Iceland saga (gf, replacing the one she loved as a child)
  
• Marvel Smash Up (25yo, who likes both Smash Up and superheroes.)
  
• A reference book relevant to 16yo's interests, but that hasn't arrived yet.
  
• The Penguin Book of Card Games (12yo, who wished that something like that existed. I picked a known classic because there's a lot of extruded if not fully AI generated rubbish out there.)
  
• This ridiculously lovely pony playset (4yo, who introduced me to the Schleich brand of high-end plastic toys. Apparently they've been around forever but I hadn't heard of them.)
  
• The isle of cats (husband, but we usually buy presents for both of us rather than one person giving to the other)
  
• Tiffin made by my sister (the Christmas guests generally). As the good book says, there's always room for dessert.

I am very pleased to have sourced all of that without resorting to the Evil River, and only one of the ten was late.

And I did so extremely well for received presents this year, and we haven't even got to my birthday yet, not that I'm hinting.

• The Jewish Annotated Apocrypha to match my Jewish Annotated New Testament (metamour)
  
• Frog socks! (25yo)
  
• Paperback (the game), recommended to me as a deck-builder word game, two of my favourite things (boyfriend)
  
• Potted herbs for my plantless flat (girlfriend)
  
• Ridiculously cute water bottle, lockable so I can take it into the college library (16yo)
  
• Adult alphabet jigsaw puzzle, not the Mike Wilks set that I collect but a similar kind of idea, a crowded picture with lots of stuff beginning with the letter, in this case I and J are combined since they're both pretty rare letters (12yo)
  
• Teeny felt hedge-hug (in a personalized cracker, so credit mainly to girlfriend)
  
• Apiary (husband, but again it's mostly from and for both of us mutually)

This is partly because we got really organized about wishlists this year, but I do also feel really seen and loved.

Today, following our tradition for (un)boxing day, we have been playing some of the new games and generally chilling. I made French onion soup, which I love but rarely have the patience for. And tomorrow I am promised latkes and good company for my birthday.

Comments

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

Grainne did intend Boop to be for both of you. Also, thank you for the Amichai tip because I did know I like Amichai but didn't know Colin does. I don't think I own any even in digital copies though, because I usually just do web poetry.

Also, I've never owned a copy of the Magnus Magnusson, it was a library book I borrowed several times, so thank you.

[liv]

Ah, that makes sense, I was thinking, I'm sure G gave me something but I couldn't remember what. Boop is amazing, it's way more tactical than I'd expect for a novelty Christmas game. I think it's the kind of thing that you would find too much like chess but A would enjoy it.

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

I think it';s the Christmas skin for a more serious normal game, if that makes sense?

[lovingboth]

Yes, if you're looking for a book on card games, David Parlett is the author to look for!

Reiner Knizia has done one with new games, but apart from that, I struggle to remember anyone else's book that has ever looked worth getting. (I'm not into Bridge or Poker enough to be able to judge those fields.)

[yourivy]

That sounds like such a nice and cozy Christmas! Both the gifts you gave and got seem awesome and well thought out.
Schleich toys are everywhere around the shops here, I believe it's actually a German company. The Tiffins made my mouth water, I might try my hand at making some one of these days.

Happy Birthday!

[lethargic_man]

Just seen Vengeance Most Fowl, which wasn't released abroad until yesterday, and I think you're possibly a bit unfair on it. From my perspective, it was everything I look forward to in a new Wallace and Gromit film; I don't expect a W&G to be the most philosophical thing in the world. I liked the references to "A Grand Day Out" and "A Close Shave" (those to "The Wrong Trousers" go without saying), and the normal Gromit's book titles and other cultural references—and I was pleased that the change in Wallace's voice actor was completely imperceptible.

To pedant you, unlike almost every other sequel nowadays, Wallace and Gromit hasn't been franchised out; it's still Nick Park at the helm.