MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Ramadan!

I Think that covers it. lol Please pardon my spelling.

This is a Merry Christmas. I finally broke down and got a USP modem rather than try to depend on my internal WIFI. I have not had a signal in a few weeks.

The kids had a good Christmas, not as many gifts in years past, but they are great and understand that finances are almost nil this year. They are just happy that they got the few items that they wanted most. They are also happy that last night we once again hosted the Christmas Novena. My husbands entire family celebrates the birth of Christ on December 24th. We have the traditional Polish feast of the fishes. NO meat! a lot of seafood, a lot of sweets and deserts.

We try to follow the old world Polish traditions as closely as possible. The first guest to walk through the door must be a man, preferably the oldest male of that family unit. We have the oplatki (communion wafer) blessed and the the Paternal or oldest male of the host family breaks off pieces and gives it to the males who are the head of each household unit, they in turn break off pieces of theirs and give it to their individual family member. When you hand them their's, you give them a Christmas wish. (Peace and health to you, etc.) Then a prayer is said and everyone puts the wafer in their mouths at the same time.

We had a very good time, we did a "Chinese auction" Pollyanna. It is so much fun. Everyone buys a $5 generic gift and wraps it. They all get put in a pile. Everyone gets a number and when your number is called you can take a gift from the pile, or if you someone who went before you has a gift that you really like you can steal it from them. Then that person has the option of stealing from someone else or taking a new gift from the pile. when the stealing starts and you get a bunch of people stealing in one round is when it gets really fun.

Despite the running around and pushing myself beyond what I usually do, we had a great night. The only thing that was sad for me was my 2 oldest, my daughters, didn't show up. My oldest is controlled by her boyfriend. He doesn't think we are good enough. He does everything he can to keep her away from us. He even makes her get off the phone if he comes in and we are talking. I wish she would stand up to him. They had to spend the entire night at is parents, even sleep there. You think  he would concede for Christmas and let her come to see us for a few hours. I hope she gets tired of it soon, but it doesn't look that way. My other daughter called and said she had 3 stops to make then she would be here. We waited, but she never showed up. I got worried and called her (she lives with her father) and her grandmother said she fell asleep and wouldn't wake her up. When my daughter called this morning she was so mad that they didn't wake her up. She said she will probably come home with us after dinner at my niece's house today and sleep over tonight. That will be really nice.

Well, it is time to start getting ready to go to my niece's for my family's Christmas dinner. This one is the biggie. About 25 of us and it is a formal sit down dinner (good china, gold ware, crystal, the works) It is nice though it has been like this in my family for as long as I can remember. First, open gifts, then dinner, then we play board games while the kids play with their gifts. Some people pass out from turkey coma as well. lol

I am so glad God blessed me with a week of not feeling too bad. He gave me the strength and the means to do all that I had to do and for that I am truly grateful.

Happy Holidays and
Soft Hugs to All
Laurie D.