We had a nice Christmas this year. It was low key and the kids were happy. This was our first Christmas alone and I'd say it went well. But it didn't really feel like Christmas to me. Steve says that it felt like it to him. But for some reason it doesn't to me. Maybe because it was in the 80s yesterday and today and kids were riding their new bikes that they got for Christmas outside on Christmas day. Or the fact that Big E put on shorts and a t-shirt to go out and play. Or maybe because I'm away from home. I don't know but it wasn't the same. And maybe that was a good thing. I got home sick, but I didn't cry like I did on Thanksgiving. I felt like it, but it wasn't so overwhelming that I couldn't deal with it.
After our 2 kg chicken for Thanksgiving, I decided to order a turkey for Christmas, even though it was expensive. We couldn't have ham, like we're both used to, so turkey it was. I ordered a 5-6 kg turkey after Thanksgiving. It was to be delivered sometime between Dec 22-24. Since I couldn't guarantee that it would be here before Christmas Eve, I decided we'd have Christmas dinner. On the 23rd, in the evening, I got a phone call from LuLu Express informing me that the turkeys were in. I thought the man said that the turkey was 4 kg, which would have been perfect for our little family. But all the workers have thick accents and sometimes it's hard to understand on the phone. When I went to pick up the turkey a manger came to talk to me and said, "There's been a mistake. We opened boxes and all turkeys 8kg. Do you still want turkey?"
Now for those of you who don't remember how to convert lb. into kg it's 2.2lbs per 1 kg. So that 8 kg turkey weighs 17.6 lbs! I felt a big obligated to buy it since I ordered a turkey. But that was twice the price I was expecting to pay and it was a lot. I'm not going to tell you how much I spent on a turkey, but let's just say that it was more than I've ever in my life spent on one turkey. That turkey was probably heavier than Miss A. :)
Christmas Eve we were invited to go to a home of a couple that have been coming to church. They are from Lebanon. We got there around 5:20 and were informed that another couple was coming but he gets off work at 5 and had to go pick up his wife. They didn't come until 7:20ish. Then we had dinner. We had to excuse ourselves early because we wanted to do our Christmas tradition of reading the Christmas story in the Bible with egg nog (which I made since there isn't any here) before it got too late. But by the time we got home it was after 9pm and we were full. So we had a little bit of egg nog, quickly read Luke 2:1-18 and Matthew 2:1-12 with a very fussy Miss A and put the kids to bed. Not quite what I had in mind. I should not have accepted the invitation to go out that night. I should have seen if there was another day. Lesson learned. That probably contributed to my feeling like it wasn't Christmas.
We were able to skype with my parents and two of my sisters, who were all together. Mom and Dad got to watch Big E and Miss A open the gifts they sent them. They sent pillow pets and the kids love them. Miss A saw Big E's and wanted it. So when she opened hers she hugged it and then laid on top of it, and when she saw it after her nap, she did the same thing. Steve set up the TV in the living room next to the tree and then downloaded a video of a burning fire. So instead of stoking the fire every so often, he had to hit play. :) He also turned the AC colder so that it would feel chilly inside, a bit more like Christmas....sort of.
We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Well, Steve and I did. Big E got himself a Christmas gift of gummy bears, which he wrapped and waited until Christmas day to open. It wasn't a big bag, but that's all he ate for breakfast. Not even cinnamon rolls tempted him. Miss A was awake before Big E, so she had breakfast before and so wasn't tempted either. Big E enjoyed eating whatever he wanted whenever he wanted and he had candy the whole day.
Even though it was different, it was nice. But of course this year was the year that snow was expected on Christmas day back home. Figures. The last time they had a white Christmas, we had gone to Utah. The whitest we got was some fog in the morning. But I'll take what I can get. :)
I hope everyone had a great Christmas Day. We miss everyone back home and I know that I at least think of you all often.
p.s. I haven't uploaded picture from yesterday yet, but I want to get this posted tonight. So I'll post pictures soon.
After our 2 kg chicken for Thanksgiving, I decided to order a turkey for Christmas, even though it was expensive. We couldn't have ham, like we're both used to, so turkey it was. I ordered a 5-6 kg turkey after Thanksgiving. It was to be delivered sometime between Dec 22-24. Since I couldn't guarantee that it would be here before Christmas Eve, I decided we'd have Christmas dinner. On the 23rd, in the evening, I got a phone call from LuLu Express informing me that the turkeys were in. I thought the man said that the turkey was 4 kg, which would have been perfect for our little family. But all the workers have thick accents and sometimes it's hard to understand on the phone. When I went to pick up the turkey a manger came to talk to me and said, "There's been a mistake. We opened boxes and all turkeys 8kg. Do you still want turkey?"
Now for those of you who don't remember how to convert lb. into kg it's 2.2lbs per 1 kg. So that 8 kg turkey weighs 17.6 lbs! I felt a big obligated to buy it since I ordered a turkey. But that was twice the price I was expecting to pay and it was a lot. I'm not going to tell you how much I spent on a turkey, but let's just say that it was more than I've ever in my life spent on one turkey. That turkey was probably heavier than Miss A. :)
Christmas Eve we were invited to go to a home of a couple that have been coming to church. They are from Lebanon. We got there around 5:20 and were informed that another couple was coming but he gets off work at 5 and had to go pick up his wife. They didn't come until 7:20ish. Then we had dinner. We had to excuse ourselves early because we wanted to do our Christmas tradition of reading the Christmas story in the Bible with egg nog (which I made since there isn't any here) before it got too late. But by the time we got home it was after 9pm and we were full. So we had a little bit of egg nog, quickly read Luke 2:1-18 and Matthew 2:1-12 with a very fussy Miss A and put the kids to bed. Not quite what I had in mind. I should not have accepted the invitation to go out that night. I should have seen if there was another day. Lesson learned. That probably contributed to my feeling like it wasn't Christmas.
We were able to skype with my parents and two of my sisters, who were all together. Mom and Dad got to watch Big E and Miss A open the gifts they sent them. They sent pillow pets and the kids love them. Miss A saw Big E's and wanted it. So when she opened hers she hugged it and then laid on top of it, and when she saw it after her nap, she did the same thing. Steve set up the TV in the living room next to the tree and then downloaded a video of a burning fire. So instead of stoking the fire every so often, he had to hit play. :) He also turned the AC colder so that it would feel chilly inside, a bit more like Christmas....sort of.
We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Well, Steve and I did. Big E got himself a Christmas gift of gummy bears, which he wrapped and waited until Christmas day to open. It wasn't a big bag, but that's all he ate for breakfast. Not even cinnamon rolls tempted him. Miss A was awake before Big E, so she had breakfast before and so wasn't tempted either. Big E enjoyed eating whatever he wanted whenever he wanted and he had candy the whole day.
Even though it was different, it was nice. But of course this year was the year that snow was expected on Christmas day back home. Figures. The last time they had a white Christmas, we had gone to Utah. The whitest we got was some fog in the morning. But I'll take what I can get. :)
I hope everyone had a great Christmas Day. We miss everyone back home and I know that I at least think of you all often.
p.s. I haven't uploaded picture from yesterday yet, but I want to get this posted tonight. So I'll post pictures soon.
2 comments:
Don't worry. White Christmas was a bust around here! Miss you!
I think it's hilarious that Big E got himself a bag of gummy bears for Christmas. Glad you had a fun Christmas!
Post a Comment