Christmas day

I’m sitting at the kitchen table participating by proxy.  Don is playing Scrabble with our friends.  He is playing very politely.  They are new at it and he has pulled in his predator teeth.  It must be hard for him.  Carefully placing down five letter words, no double words lying alongside an old one where he gets to count all the little words as well as the big one adding up to a gazillion points. 

I’m luxuriating in the excuse of the turkey and whatnot.  It needs basting.  I would hold up the game.  (Although, the truth be told, the only way I can play Scrabble is with Don.  I always hold up the game.  It takes me forever to find words, but he doesn’t mind at all.  However if I had to play with other people I’d break out into a cold sweat.  And when one is in a panicky-I’m-going-to-hold-everybody-up-because-I-suck-as-a-speller-and-I-didn’t-go-to-University words NEVER come. 

Be right back, I have to baste the turkey…

Hello again.  The turkey is looking good, is turning a golden brown.  The pecan pie’s on the counter and I made candy cane ice cream as well.  Sweet potato mash is ready to go and the red potatoes are simmering on the stove.  Dinner, for the time being, is good to go.

Dave and his friend Dan just got up, all sleepy eyes and tousled hair.  They humored me and opened the stockings that Santa had magically left them.  Dave has a bit of a cough so I made him a hot lemon and honey.  Then they had a few of the pecan cinnamon buns that I made in honor of Dave (they are his favorites) Now they are downstairs playing ping pong.  It’s really nice to have him home.

I had a lovely time this morning listening to Will’s description of the morning excitement with Santa and his little brothers.  He sounded happy.  Then Emily got on the phone and while I talked with her Don ran downstairs and got the presents she sent us out from under the tree.  It was so fun to open them with her on the phone.  Emily is the BEST gift buyer in the whole world!  First I opened and read the card, like it was the very first time, even though both of us knew other wise.  Then Don opened his gift which was the classiest grey and black checked cashmere scarf.  Perfection!  I bought Don a scarf a few years ago, that was nice and soft and a lovely green, but the reverse side of it...not so nice.  Lime green to be exact.  So the scarf is nice and warm and lovely to look at, until he moves a fraction of an inch and then..horrors!  So this scarf Emily got was a welcome present, not just for Don, but for my embarrassed eyes as well.

Then I opened my present.  Holy cow!  How she managed to fit all those wonderful gifts in such a small unassuming box, I’ll never know.  Three beautiful tops, one dressy, black, with a little strand of understated elegant sparkle running right around the bust line and then flared out gently so that it will skim my expanding waistline instead of clinging to it.  And then two (she said practical tops, for day to day wear,) but her practical looks WAY better than my practical.  They are beautiful and I feel very loved.  And then to top it all off there was a very classy velvet scarf in colors that make me look like I have rose kissed cheeks.  Everything so thoughtfully chosen.  Like how she knows lots of fabrics itch me and all three tops were made of the softest cottons.  And I’m sitting there on our bed, Don beside me, and tears are running down my face.  Not sad tears, tears of happy fullness, talking to my two children, hearing their voices, feeling them close.  Anyway it was very special.  Thank you so much Emily, and tons of love to you and Will.  xxooo

Okay, the last letters have been drawn from the Scrabble bag, they are almost at the end.  Don’s score is 200, a tiny bit ahead of the others, and they are impressed, marveling at his scrabble skills, but really...on a bad day, Don might get in the low 300’s Usually it’s high 300’s and around a month ago he got 440.  It reminds me of a German Shepard playing with a couple of Malti-poos. (I spelled that wrong but you get the drift.) Time to baste the turkey again.

Anyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!  Love, Meg xxooo

Posted by Meg Tilly on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 in Chewing the Fat

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