Christmas

Christmas Eve was a blast - we were invited to celebrate with some friends (and their extended family) in Connecticut; very Polish and lots of fun. We got their a bit earlier to get the three little guys (all just around 2years old) adjusted, prepped the food,  and were reminded by the catholic Grandma not to forget to fast.

When it was getting dark the youngest child went out in the yard to look for the first star - and we got to the dinner table. Just in case it was cloudy an elctric star-wand was hidden in one of the trees. 13 (non-meat, mostly Polish) dishes had been prepared by different guests. The older nephew read the Christmas story from the bible. Then everyone got a piece of bread to share with everyone else, while sharing the bread good wishes for the next year were exchanged. Then finally, we could start to eat.

Once our tummies were filled, we sang Polish Christmas Songs, accompanied by the nephew on the trombone, and then the presents were opened - what a crazy moment of unwrapping and getting excited about everything. Silvan got a set of real, but child sized baking utensils (which he loves), and books (as he had been wishing for books all December long), art supplies, an airplane and more - we were really showered with presents and kindness that evening. It was a lot of fun.

Later on we enjoyed desserts and tea and took it easy, while most of the relatives left to drive home for the Polish Midnight Mass.

The next morning  my two guys were exhausted and slept in before eating Christmas cookies and unwrapping the other presents left at home, playing with them most of the day; except when it started snowing and we went outside to play with the flurries.

Monday we were back at work and Silvan at day care - I had an important meeting coming up, and we all got sick with stomach bugs and colds. Never really bad, but never really healthy either.