Our festive celebrations opened with Christmas Eve mass at our country church followed by a scrumptious prime rib and salmon feast at Mom and Dad's house.
In the past, Christmas Day here at Gael Glen Farm has been a quiet affair for Ian, the pups and I but the times they are a changing. This year we hosted several family members (Grandma, Cora, Mom, Dad and Aunt Jane) on Christmas Day for some gift opening, yuletide celebrating and more eating - this time a Christmas ham with scalloped potatoes. Aunt Jane and Cora's dog, Bella, quickly became BFFs and were inseparable all day - especially after Aunt Jane slyly fed Bella a small piece of diabetic chocolate (Bella's favourite forbidden treat)! Cora, the pups and I finished the day with a calorie burning snowshoe excursion into the field behind the farm to stretch our legs and work off some of the pie and butter tarts we'd eaten.
On Boxing Day, we had the clan over again for more celebrating, our annual Christmas stocking and gift exchange and our turkey and stuffing dinner followed by homemade pumpkin and lemon meringue pies. We all made out like bandits in the gift department this year! Some of the top gifts included: IPads, a neon orange Kubota mailbox for the cottage (it matches Dad's tractor), a bottle of Glenfiddich 15 scotch, a new angle grinder, loose leave tea accessories, Tabasco infused wood chips for the BBQ, scarves, a set of seed starters for the garden, coasters, bath towels, new maternity clothes, books, spending money and rain jackets. Even the munchkin in my belly got gifts - a baby book from Cora and a beautiful baby blanket from Grandpa and Monique in Montreal. We are all so spoiled!
As it turns out, this was the Christmas that kept on giving. Ian started coughing and sneezing just before turkey dinner on Boxing Day and before we knew it almost everybody had come down with a virulent strain of the flu - clearly not one covered by this year's flu shot since we had all got it. The headaches, chills, night sweats, body aches, itchy and sore throats, stuffy noses and repeated rounds of vomiting (for the pregnant lady only) finally abated after about three days and now we are mostly on the mend.
Many thanks to everyone who celebrated this Christmas with us in person and the many others who were with us in spirit (from Kingston, Toronto, Wasaga Beach, Thunder Bay, Western Canada, New Zealand and even as far away as Heaven). We hope you all had an equally festive holiday (minus the flu, of course) and have exciting plans for a safe and happy New Years! Achoo!
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| Ian's temperature at its worst. |
Rey and I were sick too this holiday season. Me more so than him. His flu shot offered him some protection. Cesare had a bout of diarrhea from the stress of knowing that I was sick. I am feeling better now, but lung capacity hasn't fully returned to normal yet. The congestion will probably take some time to clear up.
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