how we do it.
Nov. 26th, 2011 08:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gfrancieThursday was really lovely. Things came together rather well. I had dinner pretty well-planned so that on the actual day, there was very little running around. I would wander into the kitchen, check on the turkey, maybe do some prep and then wander back out to see how everyone was doing. My brother Mike showed up around eleven. The kids are always happy to see him. He isn't like some kind of Fun Bobby of an Uncle who is Mr. Show, (after all Mike is very much the Scandinavian bachelor. Kind of quiet and pleasant) but he is very patient with them and reads them many stories. Mike also looked through the latest issue of Saveur (which has a big feature on Italian Christmas foods) and we discussed what Christmas dinner. My brother will be joining us for Christmas Eve dinner as he has to work in the city that day. (football game)
Senor Onion did his "important job" of putting out the silverware. A few people may have ended up with two knives or two forks, but he did a good job. I picked up my Mom and Kathie from the ferry (god the weather was ugly) and came home to see that Danica had arrived with her pug. It was a happy crowd. My Mom, Kathie, and Danica geeked out on knitting. (pro tip: always have two knitters at your holiday gatherings. They will spend much of the day in conversation about needles, yarn and awesome projects. It will make for a happy occasion) The kids and the pug chased each other around the house. Senor Onion who desires a dog became Mr. Responsible. He made sure that Tiny did not eat any human food. He even took the dog on a couple of walks (obviously with supervision) Plum I think was on the same wave-length as Tiny. "let's run around and look cute" Danica reported that the kids did indeed wear out Tiny at the end of the day. The formula is two small children + one small dog + a circular floor plan = good work out. It helps that the dog is very very good with children. He was pretty hilarious at dinner when he kept going around doing his sad eyes at people. "so....you gonna eat that bit of turkey because I can take it off your hands. you know... if you need help and stuff... because I am really really really sad and no one ever feeds me...really...SQUIRREL"
Eventually we sat down to our meal. We ate and passed around dishes multiple times. We missed Tom and Kit who were elsewhere. Tom spent part of the day with a cousin. Kit was doing a good deed. She went home with a friend from school. Her friend's family is emotionally taxing on the friend and both weren't having a great time. My sister said everyone was very very dull but there was a lot of wine. She was homesick for our awesome thanksgiving. But hey Kit? You did a good thing helping out a friend like that. She and her friend escaped Thanksgiving and came back to school to cut out snowflakes.
As for us at Chez Anglo-America, we continued our reign of eating and talking and general silliness. We spoke to Kit and Tom on the phone, we migrated to the living room to digest. There was some tidying. Then there was a great deal of pie and cake. Yes. A bit of everything. Oh just one more slice. Plus coffee and tea. Then we migrated back to the living room. Where there was knitting, chatter, and tired children and dogs.
Eventually people began to make their way home for the day was gone. I sent everyone home with leftovers. It is a good way to help me out and they get to have more food the next day.
Next year I am taking this show on the road. So if you are in Southwestern England, on what is Thanksgiving weekend -stop on by. I am going to feed you dinner. Also bring tupperware for leftovers.
Senor Onion did his "important job" of putting out the silverware. A few people may have ended up with two knives or two forks, but he did a good job. I picked up my Mom and Kathie from the ferry (god the weather was ugly) and came home to see that Danica had arrived with her pug. It was a happy crowd. My Mom, Kathie, and Danica geeked out on knitting. (pro tip: always have two knitters at your holiday gatherings. They will spend much of the day in conversation about needles, yarn and awesome projects. It will make for a happy occasion) The kids and the pug chased each other around the house. Senor Onion who desires a dog became Mr. Responsible. He made sure that Tiny did not eat any human food. He even took the dog on a couple of walks (obviously with supervision) Plum I think was on the same wave-length as Tiny. "let's run around and look cute" Danica reported that the kids did indeed wear out Tiny at the end of the day. The formula is two small children + one small dog + a circular floor plan = good work out. It helps that the dog is very very good with children. He was pretty hilarious at dinner when he kept going around doing his sad eyes at people. "so....you gonna eat that bit of turkey because I can take it off your hands. you know... if you need help and stuff... because I am really really really sad and no one ever feeds me...really...SQUIRREL"
Eventually we sat down to our meal. We ate and passed around dishes multiple times. We missed Tom and Kit who were elsewhere. Tom spent part of the day with a cousin. Kit was doing a good deed. She went home with a friend from school. Her friend's family is emotionally taxing on the friend and both weren't having a great time. My sister said everyone was very very dull but there was a lot of wine. She was homesick for our awesome thanksgiving. But hey Kit? You did a good thing helping out a friend like that. She and her friend escaped Thanksgiving and came back to school to cut out snowflakes.
As for us at Chez Anglo-America, we continued our reign of eating and talking and general silliness. We spoke to Kit and Tom on the phone, we migrated to the living room to digest. There was some tidying. Then there was a great deal of pie and cake. Yes. A bit of everything. Oh just one more slice. Plus coffee and tea. Then we migrated back to the living room. Where there was knitting, chatter, and tired children and dogs.
Eventually people began to make their way home for the day was gone. I sent everyone home with leftovers. It is a good way to help me out and they get to have more food the next day.
Next year I am taking this show on the road. So if you are in Southwestern England, on what is Thanksgiving weekend -stop on by. I am going to feed you dinner. Also bring tupperware for leftovers.
