There are some holes in my It’s Christmas Now theory, my intention of embracing all the moments of preparation for the Day as part of the seasonal richness. The biggest problem would be that all the moment-embracing makes it a bit tough to finish sewing up the handknit socks, wrap the gifts, make the tourtières. . . .
But what are you going to do when a son and daughter-in-law make the trek over to the Mainland for two days of pre-Christmas celebration? You know the answer, right? You ignore all the should-do’s, forget any still-undone shopping, stop fretting about the pastry that will have to wait ’til later to get made, and you rejoice in some crazy family good times.
That’s what we’ve been doing, yesterday
(yes, apparently there was a theme . . . )
and today. We brunched at Stanley Park’s Fish House — a splendid venue for elegant yet relaxed family get-togethers, something of a family tradition for us now (last featuredhere)
And besides the savoury egg dishes and the yummy desserts
it will now forever be remembered as the place where Harriet learned to suck her thumb
There was even some gift exchange, with one lovely Daughter-in-Law making her knitting Mater-in-Law very happy — isn’t she a gorgeous model for the cowl I made her?
Yikes! Speaking of knit gifts reminds me of the socks whose toes need to be grafted, right now, so that I can finishing knitting the other pair that I have to wrap tomorrow. . . .
Isn’t it all fun?! Merry Christmas!!
This is what it's all about. Lovely pictures! And Harriet's look of wonder and discovery at having found a thumb…priceless!!
Thanks, Sue!
What beautiful photos! I think Harriet looks like Nola. 🙂
She's getting to that stage where we can start looking for people in her face — so far, we mostly see her dad, so it's interesting you can spot Nola in there too.
Gorgeous pictures! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Patricia! We've exchanged this greeting over quite a few years now, here on this blog, haven't we?!
What beautiful pictures of family joy!!
I'm still knitting…and I do toe up usually.
Have a wonderful love filled Merry Christmas!!
Cheers
Jennifer
Ah, one of these days I'm going to knit at least one pair toe-up.
Merry Christmas to you as well!
I do love a thumb-sucking baby, so adorable. That photo of four generations of beautiful women is priceless.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Mater.
Having been such a thumb-sucking baby my self (and toddler, and child . . . . took me a while to break that habit!), I'm partial as well.
We felt very fortunate being able to get that four-generation photo — someday Harriet should treasure that, I hope.
Merry Christmas to you and your family too, Lorrie
There is something so right about preparing right down to the last minute. I cranked up the music this afternoon and cooked my way through my list. Loved it.
The photo of the four generations is beautiful.
That's a great image! I miss my Christmas CDs here in the apartment — perfect for playing loud and getting the cooking done and the last-minute wrapping.
Lovely photos, agree on the four generations of beautiful women. Sounds like proper christmas fun. Enjoy.
We are enjoying all the Christmas fun, Moonboots — hope you are at your place as well!
Merry Christmas to you also. What wonderful photos. You must have had such a great time spending it with family. How lovely.
We are having a lovely family Christmas, Marla, and I feel very blessed. May you have a Merry Christmas as well!
A very, very merry Christmas to you all from all of us! xxxx
Oh such a wonderful photo of all the generations.
So nice to meet Harriet, you must be so happy to have been able to spend time all together.
Happy Holidays Mater!
Merry Christmas!