This was the first year in a long time where Christmas day was just the three of us. We visited my family yesterday, and Diana's parents were here for Thanksgiving (and we met up with everyone in October for their wedding). Diana was on neighbor housesitting duty this week, too, so it made sense to hang out.
Morning was pretty low-key. We continued our desire to not go nuts with Simon when it comes to gifts. We're not cheap or stingy, we just learned early on that he keys in on very specific things, and going beyond that is just excess (and perhaps setting some poor expectations). This year, after finding a video of it, we knew he was all about the Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage, and that was his "big" gift for the year, along with a number of smaller things. It was a huge hit. Diana and I didn't get each other anything at all, because we take a lot of epic vacations, enjoy theme parks almost weekly, and we get the things that we enjoy throughout the year. It's often gadgets and music for me, quilting materials for her.
Diana made a bone-in turkey breast for dinner, brining it as usual, and it was completely fantastic. That woman can cook a bird like it's her job. And of course, her mashed potatoes are amazing, too. We had a nice, quiet family dinner. That's totally OK... we've had a lot of time with family and friends in the last month. I imagine we'll have some neighborhood folks over for the new year next weekend too (provided we invite them!).
I know it's Thanksgiving that you're supposed to take stock of all of the things that you're thankful for, but as I sit here on the patio, 75 degrees, with Simon next to me, train whistles singing in the distance, I can't help but think about how fortunate I feel to have this wonderful little family unit. It's been a challenging year, but I have a healthy little boy, an out-of-my-league lovely wife and co-parent, a comfortable place to live, and a good job. I feel pretty good about life right now.
I hope all of my family and friends can experience similar joy and happiness this week.
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