We've had a lot of fun this week. On Monday we had a big snowstorm. Here's my son Mikey building a snowman in the back garden.
Later on in the week, we had to go to the US Embassy to renew the kids' passports. That took a lot of time sitting around in the waiting area. Before we got to the Embassy, though we stopped at a great Mexican restaurant in Notting Hill for lunch:
After eating, we went to Portobello Market. What a quirky place it is:
Then it was on to Selfridges on Oxford Street to find Bordon's Egg Nog in their international supermarket:
We went to midnight mass at the church around the corner last night. What a show the Anglicans put on now. Incense, bells ringing inside when something important is said, vicars coming down to the middle of the church to read the Bible near us, etc. The flowers and decor were lovely too. (We went to church because my son has signed up to the play the organ there, and we wanted to check it out. Going to church reminded me of time spent with my religious mother so that was nice. When they asked if I wanted to take communion, however, I declined.)
We finally got to bed at 1:30 this morning but then we were up again to see what Santa had brought. Katie got a calendar featuring her fave man, David Tennant (Doctor Who):
My husband opened his stocking -- he had the Star Trek movie, books and chocolate. My mother had this stocking made for him the Christmas we got married so I use it every year.
I got some great presents -- antiquarian books, Chanel and violet and rose chocolates.
Hope your day was fun. Tell me about it in the comments section if you have time.
11 comments:
But we haven't played Monopoly yet, or Articulate, or any card games!!!
I never realised my jaw looked like Tommy Trinder's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_trinder
Is this Borden's eggnog, with Elsie the cow, like we used to have in MS growing up?
I think I spot a Spode coffee mug in that last picture. Once they were grown, I used to give my children Spode Christmas china every year. I think it's the hight of frivolity to have a set of china that is used once a year - although you can really use it for 2-3 weeks. I quit doing it because they had all they needed.
Merry Christmas! We're just getting started while you're finishing up.
Let's not have the Christmas Wars again, as with the Catholics and the Protestants. Yuletide belongs to everyone, atheist or theist, as surely as does the earth. When the winter sun dies down, and the night goes black, yet the sun returns to be born again, surely the first human that had thought to notice experienced the mystery of life's course. Are we too proud to be humbled by that same awe? Or let another claim it all their own? Merry Christmas, everybody! Welcome Yule!
Actually, since it's only 3:45PM here in Bethesda, Maryland where I live just outside of Washington, I am still tending to the Christmas cooking awaiting arrival of my youngest son & his boyfriend, plus a group of dear friend.
I just Skyped with Tim Trent in his new home hard by the English Channel and he & his lovely bride of a few years, Mel, are going for a walk by the sea.
I told him I envied him as I cannot think of anything more beautiful than a small village-by-the-sea at Christmas time.
Lucky bugger. I have a Goose in the oven, a ham cooling on the ledge, and am in the process of getting the bread ready for the oven.
It's gloomy and white outside, but my heart is filled with cheer and I am looking forward to a brilliant evening with loved ones and friends.
As my colleagues would say in the broadcast business Elizabeth;
"Merry Christmas from Washington D. C., I'm Brody Levesque wishing ALL of you a happy & joy filled holiday.........Back to You
Brody, what a beautiful Chrismtas message. Thank you. It warmed the cockles of my heart.
Vicksburg, yes, Selfridge's has Borden's egg nog at Christmas. We stocked up but I also make my own homemade alcoholic version.
Casey Ann, my husband agrees with you about Christmas china. I only have three mugs but a friend has the full set and brings it out every year. She also has several sets of Easter china.
That was one thing that surprised me about America when I forst came - the Spode dinner sets that only come out at Christmas. My first reaction was what a waste this was, but then thought of the pottery workers who were at least kept in jobs by rich American consumers.
I also loved Brody's and Linus' posts. I've gotten to meet some great people here this past year!
And E, I spotted that set of Bewtiched episodes you have amongst the books...are they still as much fun now we're grown? And A Princess of Paris looks delightful!
My mother-in-law decreed no presents this year(Thanksgiving week, REALLY bad timing because we were done with our gifts). So we did everything Christmas Eve at our party, and gave everyone their homemade marinara as planned - despite the glare from mother-in-law. I love to give presents! Gave the girls ornaments from my mother's collection, to pass them down in the family. Don't know what my m-i-l's problem was...this is the same person who has given me a whole set of Christmas china _at once!_ in years past. Didn't let it spoil my day though. Did think that without gift unwrapping after breakfast, dinner time arrived a bit too soon!
Merry everything, everyone!
Derry, sounds like your m-i-l just didn't want to bother with present buying so laid down a decree. I would have ignored it. Life's too short for other people to tell you what to do.
Nice of you to give away some of your mother's ornaments. What Christmas china do you have?
Yes, I got the first year of Bewitched as never saw them as a child. We watch re-runs of it but never saw the first year of B&W episodes.
No presents? Perish the thought! Drew, I think I'd have said, "Mommy-in-Law Dearest, if you don't want any gifts, that's fine, but WE WANT LOTS!"
Thanks to my secret boyfriend Mr. E. Bay I'm up to 32 0r 36 Spode mugs---but those are the only pieces of the pattern I have. I like to use them to serve hot soup from my big cabbage-shaped tureen.
Happy New Year all!
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