Christmas Eve Day

 There will be no "moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow" this year, although we are on the verge of a full moon, there's no reflective snow happening. I don't love a green Christmas, but last year we were dumped on, roads were closed, and daughter and boyfriend got their car stuck on their way to our house. Feast or famine.

Our gathering this past Saturday was lovely. Here are some highlights:

Before some gift opening... Murph in his allocated spot.

I can cook a turkey, but lord I hate carving. I'm more of a rip it apart and hope for the best kind of chef, so I put husband to the task and told him he gets to use a tool, so that made it more appealing. He's getting ready to attack the bird with an electric knife in that picture whilst I am still scooping stuffing from it.

Here we all are during the dishing out of the dinner. Daughter offered to do the selfie - only those under thirty are any good at it, I think. 

After supper, son decided to rate all of his nutcrackers (he's gotten one each year since he was a wee little fellow) in order from best to least favourite. Daughter helped him.

Today, husband will get his mother from the nursing home. We will have an earlier supper (it is a big ham) because she gets a bit antsy if she's not "back home" by a certain time. We will open some gifts with her. Then after she is returned back, son, husband and I are going to open the rest of our presents in the evening with the nice light of the tree and other decor and it will be all cozy and merry. This is a tradition that we did a bit of in my own home when I got a little older. It might be a bit of a German thing, I don't know, but it was always nice at night. 

Tomorrow, Christmas day, we drive to my second oldest brother's house and celebrate again. No storms to navigate through, so easy driving.

And on a decidedly different note, I finally chose to go to emerg. at the little local hospital (that is only open until 5:00 p.m., so plan your emergency...), as I can't get into my own doctor for three weeks and the cough is driving me batty, straining my sternum and I wanted to make sure it wasn't heading in the direction of pneumonia. As I sat in the examination room when the lovely doctor on call was writing me a prescription for an inhaler, I saw this: (I asked if I could take a picture)

Someone with a good sense of humour attached large googly eyes to the poster on the wall. The doctor didn't even know they were there. Perfect.