Christmas in Florida

We're quite a bit past Christmas, as is proven by the fact that I breathed a huuuge sigh of relief when the Christmas tree was finally taken down last weekend.  It's a chilly day, far, far away from Christmas when the Christmas decorations start feeling like clutter and my squeaky compulsive soul heaves a hug sigh of relief to have the living room back to rights.  So it's a bit belated to be writing about Christmas now but apparently my coping skills have declined since graduate school and it's taken this long to screw my head back on straight. 

The Seven Hours of Solitude was quiet and lovely:

It was quiet and lovely but I have to admit that it didn't really feel a whole lot like Christmas.  Maybe it was maybe it was the functioning heater, maybe it was the notable absence of traveling but I strongly suspect that it was the lack of family.  Thankfully that was soon rectified and a mere twenty-four hours later I had spent a portion of Christmas with almost every person on this plant that I love.  Almost, which in this case I count as more than good enough.

I could run you through the weekend blow by blow but lets face it, another person's holidays are only entertaining if they're played by Chevy Chase or Sarah Jessica Parker. So I'll just stick with the take-aways, which I'll warn you are all rather corny, perhaps bordering on trite. 

I got to have coffee with my Mom almost every morning.  I'd wake up and there'd be coffee and a Mama sitting on the couch with a book.  It was a bit like being a kid again, my mom and I used to spend a lot of time quietly reading in one room or another but it was better than being a kid.  It was just...comfy and familiar.

My mom and I made pie. :)  I made pirogi all by my lonesome the other week but Grandmother's pie crust is still a bit beyond me and there is truly nothing as lovely as my Grandmother's pie crust.

I talked my Papa into taking cold medicine and while he'll never admit it, it worked and he knows it! This is a triumph that those of you who received cold medicine as children can never understand. 

I was reminded (for about the 80 billionth time) that I am more comfortable being myself around my sister than just about anyone else on the planet.  She's known me my whole life and while I can't guarantee that she still likes me, I suspect she isn't repulsed by me. 

People talk about their parents, siblings, boyfriends etc being their best friends.  These people aren't my best friends, they're my family and to me that's something unique and holds its own special corner in my heart.