Christmas at Sunbury Farms

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December 26, 2012 by Kriscinda Lee Everitt

Are the holidays over yet?

Not quite yet. Well, Christmas is over, and none too soon. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely holiday. And actually, yesterday was the first Christmas Big A and I have spent together. We’re usually at our respective family’s houses doing the holiday thing. This year, we decided to spend our first Christmas married together in our new home. No traveling.

Moggy gets his presents.

Actually, for the last three or four years, our lives have been in transit in some form or another. Since 2009 I’ve moved three times (here being the final time). We also did the long distance thing for the first year I was in Pittsburgh, so we both did a lot of driving between Pittsburgh and Long Island, every few months. There’s the annual trip to Sarasota, Florida to visit Big A’s awesome grandfolks. Just since this past May, we did a lot of traveling from the city to my mother’s (1.5 hours one way) to prepare for the wedding, then there was the wedding, then 2.5 weeks in the UK for the honeymoon, and then the traveling back and forth (1 hour one way) to close on the house and get it ready. And just when we thought we were about to stop and settle in (I even said to Big A, “Now that we’re here, I don’t want to go anywhere for at least six months”), my aunt fell ill and there was the back and forth to Windsor, Ontario. And, again, don’t get me wrong, some of that traveling was wonderful (some not so much). But it gets pretty exhausting.

Big A exhausts the present pile under our little tree.

For about four years, we haven’t gone more than about 2 months on average without having to go somewhere. So, we spent our holidays at home this year, in our home. And it was good.

We got up early (we usually do), got our coffees and sat down at our newly acquired dining room table ($75 at the flea market down the road!). We didn’t get gifts this year and despite protests, family never listens (lucky for us). Big A’s mother and brother sent us a Xmas Care Package with presents (and we’re still expecting some post-Xmas loot from my family!)—the haul was as follows: I got a cashmere scarf (so soft!) and a very nice navy blue button up shirt; Big A got a black sweater that I intend to steal when he’s not looking and a new wallet (which he needed); together we got chocolates, a 2013 Greenpeace calendar, and two DVDs: Human Planet and Oceans.

All of this packaging came off of one shirt. It took me forever to get it free.

Moggy got a puffy, jingly, cat-nippy, feathery cat toy with a skull in a Santa’s cap on it, which he liked very much, but liked all the wrapping paper on the floor even more. He also got a packet of Greenies snacks, but he unfortunately can’t eat them. He had that urinary tract infection not too long ago which we think was brought on by an excess of calcium and magnesium. So, other than what’s in his good-for-him food, we’re staying away from anything that might throw him off again.

Relaxy Xmas Mogg

That just meant more for Murray. We got dressed and we both strolled out to the barn to give Murray his regular feeding and some Greenie snacks, but he wasn’t at home—out doing the rounds of family and friends for the holidays, I presumed. Then we spent the day snacking and watching our DVDs. Pretty low impact, really, which is exactly what we wanted. It’s what we needed.

But I’m ready for the start of the new year. I’m ready for all this specialized celebration to be behind us so we can get back to the normal celebration of every day. I think I prefer that.