Oh the Holidays

So, it's been a quiet holiday season for the J-meister and I and our little farm. We stuck to this side of the mountains because Jason had to work the days surrounding the 25th. We made a pre-holidays jaunt to the Workmans' and had a wonderful time. They are just good peeps. Except, they got me addicted to a video game that I am still craving to play and we don't own. Thanks a lot, Workmans.

On Christmas Eve, I cooked lamb shanks*, sauteed kale and spiced parsnips, which all turned out marvelously, according to fellow eater and helper, Jason. Christmas morning, I made scones, which turned out okay. For some reason, I was bitten by the cooking bug, hence all the non-typical cooking by me. After breakfast, we opened gifts from each other - I got Jason the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman and he got me a sewing magazine, a Sudoku book, and the first season of the Adventures of Pete & Pete. Oh, and some candy that was supposedly for me, but he's eaten an awful lot of.

We were invited to Christmas dinner with some new friends. Dinner conversation included how the 20-something son's ex-girlfriend couldn't figure out how to use birth control, the mom's tryst with her college professor, her pot use post-knee surgery and the father's belief that men shouldn't be in the delivery room (this came up twice, actually). Honestly, it was a lot of fun.

As for the pets, they got tuna for dinner on Christmas Eve and their grandma made them gifts. Bella got a giant blue and pink fleece coat and the kitties got fleece catnip toys made with some of the most potent catnip ever. It transformed Paul into a slobbering mess and Rachel lashed out at anyone who got near her toy. Hugo, oddly enough, was not very affected by it. And poor Alfie went presentless. Since he's a fish, I'm sure he's already forgotten. One minor holiday triumph - and I jinx myself, I know, by writing this - no holiday decorations were attacked, torn down, chewed on, etc. A miracle, really.

For New Year's, we're planning to par-tay with our friends, Matt and Jan, and perhaps the Workmans. Now, when I say par-tay, I mean hang out at Matt and Jan's, drink wine, play Carcassone and be silly. Wait, that sounds an awful lot like what we did last year. We're getting old, folks. We go to bed at 9, play board games and stay at home rather than risking an adventure on the town. We're only 30 - what will we be like at 50?

I wish all of you a very happy New Year's.