Meandering Around the World

It was a lovely one. From this point on everything will be marked as the last …. to be had in New York City since when we return from our RTW trip we will be landing in our new house in Radnor, PA. But literally everything went so beautifully. Our annual Christmas party, where we invite 100 people and 75 turn up went like clockwork. 15 years of doing it has greased the wheels pretty well and this year we didn’t even have to frantically throw things into boxes and into closets since we had already gotten rid of so much clutter. We had plenty of food, too much champagne and the best, biggest tree in Manhattan. We picked it up right in Union Square from Joel, the guy who comes to the market every year right after Thanksgiving with his trees. He told the kids the whole history of our tree – it is a 29 year old Fir that originally came from New Mexico. I had no idea Xmas trees can’t grow from seed in the North East, they have to be started down south and transported up as 2 or 3 yr old saplings! In any event, he thought it was a 12 ‘ tree but we have 12 ‘ ceilings and still had to cut off a foot at the top and the trunk before it would fit. As it was, the branches would poke M & DE when they sat at the dinner table! But it was definitely big enough for all our ornaments, even the ones we usually have to keep back and display separately. I wonder if I am going to be able to contain myself from collecting ornaments from every stop we make on this trip?

M & L were angels and singing doves in the Church’s annual Christmas pageant and DE was a Villager. They were all beautiful and this was the very first year since M was Head Angel that both V & I sat in the pew and simply watched instead of rushing around backstage wrangling or taking photos. And the lottery gods understood it was our last time so they gave us a seat right up front and center so that when the little angels come down the aisle, both M & L (and Cadance and Josie) ended up sitting right next to us, couldn’t have been more perfect.

Then of course, there were all the rituals and traditions of Christmas Eve and Christmas day. M & L and even DE left out their letters to santa along with the cookies and carrots and jumped into bed. I thought I was so organized I decided to go to the midnight mass next door at church. I meant only to stay for a tiny bit but the singing was so beautiful I couldn’t leave. I paid the price however, when I was still wrapping presents at 4 am, how did that happen!?

Three hours later I was woken up by all 4 kids piling into my bed with their stockings. Even, M, our 17 yr old insists on everyone being together and pulling treats and trinkets out one by one, one after another. I think that is the part they all look forward to the most year after year. My favorite tho is after when they all emerge into the living room and see the Santa gifts laid out (or piled up!) on the coffee table. This year, everyone got everything on their list – American girl dolls, horses and stables, comics upon comics and for M – an entire cake decorating kit complete with a cake turn table! She has become very crafty lately what with baking and knitting.

And then from that point on was just joy and happiness, everyone opens presents one at a time so we can each see what everyone got – I hate the idea of turning around and just seeing ripped up wrapping paper beside a huge jumble of gifts! Actually, my kids very often start playing with or reading whatever they open and have to be prodded into opening another present (most often by L who keeps her nose to the grindstone). That happens most with M, so she always ends up with a a stack of unopened gifts long after everyone else is finished. In the afternoon we have wonderful neighbors who always invite us over for Xmas lunch which means V. takes the kids over and I get to take a nap!

Xmas continued the next day when our best friends and godfathers came over for Boxing Day lunch – I have discovered the caramelized richness of roasting and went a little crazy – lamb, brussels sprouts and cauliflower all roasting away at 500 degrees sent the smoke alarm off at least 5 times…. The plan was to drive up to our country house the next day but we awoke to – completely snow choked roads. Broadway, an fairly important avenue in the center of one of the most populated cities in the US looked like it hadn’t even been plowed! Stalled buses and taxis blocked the roads. Woe betide any car that tried to turn onto a side street, at every corner drivers were trying to push their cars out of snowdrifts. The kids, of course, went out to play in the garden of Grace church next door with Luke and James. After a while the girls came bursting back in declaring they could no longer feel their legs. Once they had taken off their completely soaked jeans, it was abundantly clear the the snow had been up to their thighs! Then, instead of sliding off the road on the way to Millbrook, we took the far more prudent course of taking the girls to see their very first New York City Ballet Nutcracker.

So all in all, we did all the things we usually do one last time, enjoying each to the fullest without a hitch. Now we are ready to start from scratch and have a brand new experience next year.