This would have been a memorable Christmas Day even had it not been the first for two years since the advance of the pandemic.
Following our normal routine with Mat, Tess, and Poppy; Becky and Ian, we began in mid-morning, when everyone had emerged from bedrooms in various stages of sleep and dress, with
the opening of Santa’s stocking presents.
Later, after watching this year’s memorable Queen’s speech, the sitting room was once more littered with the debris while the establishment of some kind of order was attempted in
the opening of major presents.
Of particular note was
Flo’s parcel from Kentucky containing her painting of Durdle Door, being her present to Daddy Ian, leaving him quite overcome.
America was good to us, since we also received a wonderful Shutterfly Photo Album from Jan and Bob Beek from Montana and their daughter DeAna from Switzerland. The photographs and captions form a most engaging set of memorable photographs and prose from Jan who spent much of the time beneath the large red umbrella featured in https://derrickjknight.com/2021/10/02/108208/
Jackie enjoyed the antique Victorian mother of pearl and Brussels lace fan I gave her.
Next, was Christmas dinner at 6 p.m.
By the time I had been served with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and parsnips, Tess’s homemade stuffing, pigs in blankets, mashed swede, carrots, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and chestnuts, I wondered how I would add any turkey to my plate. The problem was solved by carver Tess and her helper, the Culinary Queen, stacking the meat on top of the rest. Regular readers will know of Matthew and Becky’s penchant for Grandma pepper. We now have my Mum’s own cruets with which to sprinkle the white pepper on our dinners. We drank a toast with Marlborough aerated Sauvignon Blanc 2018. Other white and red wines were also imbibed.
Afterwards we all decided to have a rest before trying Tess’s Christmas pudding. If it is anything like her Christmas cake it will be worth having left room for.