Wednesday 24 December 2014

In Less Than Three Hours...

...I will shut the door to my flat behind me and walk the 10 or so minutes to where my parents live, to spend Christmas Eve there. 
I wrote a very similar post last year, one that contained a "First" in 2012, snowy pictures in the one for 2011, another snowy post in 2010, but none of the kind in 2009 (which was the year I started blogging, and my husband died less than two months before Christmas).

Sunset a few days ago, seen from my bedroom
Today was, pretty much like every day since last Saturday, a quiet day. The few things on my to-do list were done by early afternoon (ironing, wrapping Christmas presents, going to the gym, posting Christmas greetings for my local XING group which I organise), and I then sat down to read part of my weekly paper. I've also been in touch with one of my sisters-in-law in Yorkshire, to make sure I ring at a convenient time tomorrow, while my mother-in-law is there and we can have a little chat and I can thank her for all the presents (which I am, of course, not going to open until tomorrow morning).

This year, I enjoyed the four weeks leading up to Christmas very much. Actually, I always do, but it was much milder than usual, and so I did not suffer the cold so much. Seven times altogether I've been to our beautiful Christmas market, most of the time to eat and only a few times to actually buy something. Twice I've been to the "Living Advent Calendar" which is held in my part of town every year, and really liked it both times. With my Mum, I attended the informal Christmas party held by a group of people who write an intercultural literature blog together; that was a very interesting afternoon indeed, and I am definitely going to stay in touch with some of them.


Tonight, there will be our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of Frankfurters and spuds salad, followed by the exchanging of gifts. Maybe we'll even sing a song or two; I'd very much like that. The (real) candles on the tree will be lit, everyone will be dressed more less festively, and I hope each of the six people there besides myself will like what I chose for them as a present.

Tomorrow afternoon, RJ will join me for a few days, and we'll have dinner at my parents' again, this time with a slightly different (and larger) group of friends. I am looking forward to all of it, and more!

Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate, and a good evening to those who don't.


My parcels are ready, my heart and mind have been for much longer!

16 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas to you and a happy New Year!!!

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    1. Thank you, and the same to you! (Although I do hope you'll come back to my blog before New Year.)

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  2. Dear Meike, Have a joyful Christmas with those you love, and a New Year of 2015 which is filled with new experiences and adventures and satisfactions!

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    1. Thank you very much, dear Kristi! I am sure your Christmas will be wonderful, too, with your family and your mix of Hungarian and German traditions.

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  3. A blessed Merry Christmas to you and your family and friends!

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  4. It sounds lovely, Meike, and I'm so glad that you are enjoying it. Just a bit of last minute clearing up to do here, and then we are ready for Christmas too. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas. All the best to you, always. Carol

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    1. It was wonderful, Carol - and we sang!! (At least half of us did...)

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  5. Merry Christmas to you! And I wondered if I left it too late to send you a card, but I see you got it!! YAY!
    (Even though I managed to not get the right size envelope! I really don't try to be so funny, it just comes naturally to me!) Have a wonderful time with family and friends!

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    1. Thank you, Kay, and the same to you! You know, if you had not mentioned the "wrong size" envelope, I would never have noticed - it is only very slightly bigger than the card, which could even be on purpose.

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  6. Well Meike I'm reading this and writing this comment four days after it was written. I hope that you had a wonderful time.

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  7. I'm late with this message too. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all the happiness for 2015.

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    1. Thank you, Maggie, I did! And all the happiness for 2015 to you, too.

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