I woke up this morning and realized it’s the day after Christmas. It had to be when I saw all the casserole dishes and pots waiting for me in the kitchen. Oh what I have to look forward to today. I refuse to spend an hour in the kitchen cleaning up when guests are still in my home. Plus, it gives me a reason not to do it right away anyway.

Even though today is Monday, it is going to be my Sunday. There is laundry to do, the post celebration dishes to tend to, and gifts to organize and go through. So I sat down this morning, had my coffee and thought back as to how the Christmas day went. Not as great as it has been in the past, but with few surprises.

It felt different since my daughter and her husband went to his family this year for dinner. They came for gifts, so we did have some time together. This is something to get used to, but I will be fine. My son came down without his fiance. She is a doctor and was on call. We face-timed earlier though, to open our gifts. Technology is amazing. Oh, did I mention…he brought one of their dogs down with him. When Leo appears, our cats disappear. Never a dull moment!

Then, there are my in-laws. Everyone usually gets here about an hour or so before the meal is scheduled to begin, so we can do our gift exchange. My brother-in-law is notorious for always coming late. This has become an annual event, due to he and his lady friend having a big Christmas Eve party for her family. He is always hung over, so he rarely ever drinks alcohol when he gets here. He eats and leaves. Yesterday was a record I believe. He might have been here for a few hours and then went back home to go to sleep. No dessert as always. And why I still bake two pumpkin pies is beyond me.

My in-laws stayed a bit longer and had no dessert either. Maybe I’m being a bit sensitive, but a lot of love and effort goes into our cooking and baking. Well, like my husband said, more for us. He will run some up to them today, along with the gift we gave his dad.

I said to my husband this morning it was not one of the better Christmas’s I can recall. Thanksgiving seemed to be the holiday this year with more meaning and exuberance. Family is still the number one important element in my life. That now includes the new members. Traditions can’t always stay the same, I get that. And then sometimes expectations can’t always be satisfied. But my husband also reminded me that as long as we are together and have our kids around us, it will always be a wonderful holiday.

So I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas day, and let’s now look forward to a brand New Year!