The 12 Days of Christmas

1. Our holiday season began with Thanksgiving. We spent the day with my oldest son and his family. The weather was perfect for us to drive to their house and enjoy a delicious meal. Joe did the carving and Andrew did most of the dishes. Renee worked hard for two days making a wonderful meal for us. We were entertained by baby Jordan.

2. Next came the decorating at home and at Church. We weren't going to do as much decorating this year, but right now the house looks like we forgot about that...every corner has something Christmas in it. I guess you just can't change old ways....especially when you both have things that are special to you. This year we didn't buy anything new for decorating.

3. As the holiday approached, I had coffee with a friend... we had visits from neighbors bringing a tray of cookies and a beautiful floral arrangement. The cookies were delicious...this started us out in our search for the favorite cookie:) We had to sample many, many cookies from this day on.

4. Church events every week. Advent, Holy day, and then Christmas itself. The Advent decorating was the only thing I did at Church...as I hurt my back during the holidays. I did however, make lots of cookies for Father's open house at the Rectory. We sampled a few.

5. Christmas was getting closer. With our large combined family it was decided to draw names on Joe's side. This was not successful for us... many people bought gifts for those whose name they didn't draw. The drawing of names caused us to not get together as a whole family. Joe and I kept up with all the changes...I told him that we better write the schedule down, so we didn't forget anything. We wouldn't want to be caught in our PJs...when we were supposed to be hosting a meal. We made cookies...and more cookies. Oh, by the way, Joe bought a huge apple pie from Sam's. Half of that is in the freezer right now.

6. Christmas Eve Eve...a visit to Joe's oldest son's house. We took a plate of cookies and had dessert and coffee with them. Grandson Brandon manned the Keurig coffee maker and gave a tour of his very decorated bedroom. He was full of Christmas spirit. We ate cookies.

7. Christmas Eve morning....Joe's grandson and his family were here for breakfast. Drake, their baby, was a delight. He entertained us all morning. I'll write a post about him tomorrow. We ate cookies.

8. Christmas Eve afternoon...we went in to celebrate with my family. No name swapping here...it seemed more like Christmas with all the laughter and paper flying. My daughter was here from DC and she told about her plans to go to the Bears, Green Bay game on Christmas. We ate cookies.

9. Christmas Day...We went to Mass, where our Church was decorated so beautifully this year. Then home to put a prime rib in the oven and get the meal around, because Joe's youngest son and girlfriend were coming for dinner and gift exchange. We ate cookies.

10. We watched a Michael Jackson concert, a gift to Joe, in the afternoon. We watched the Bear game at night...looking to see if we could see my daughter in the crowd. We had coffee and cookies.

11. Phone calls to and from family and friends who we didn't see during the holiday went on into the night. So much laughter and joy talking about our memories. My brother andI talked about food...and the food channel. He's laid up with a broken leg and he made hundred's of cookies for gifts this year...being at home. I was feeling sick from all the cookies.

12. Yesterday...we collapsed. The presents were still under the tree, serving dishes not put away, leftovers for dinner, naps on the couch, early to bed...that was our day yesterday. Joe discussed his new diet. I ate so much I felt like I could be sick. We threw out the cookies that were left.

12. This morning....I never felt so tired. Slept late...really still don't want to do anything. Gifts still under tree, serving dishes not put away, soup for dinner, maybe a nap on the couch, maybe early to bed.

Well, that's our 12 days of Christmas. Today we have to get busy and get back into our routine. The rest of the prime rib is in the freezer, the cookies are trashed, the cinnamon rolls are gone, we are going back to our healthy routine of mostly vegetables, fruits, small amount of meat. Yogurt smoothie for breakfast and soup for dinner. I don't like this lethargic feeling. Oh, dear, New Year's Eve is coming...what diet food can you eat on New Year's Eve? Please pass the carrot sticks.

Balisha