Obligatory Christmas post

Christmas went well here. I had 4 days off of work (well, actually about 4 1/2 since I got off at 10am on the 23rd) and Zenon is off until the New Year. We still don't know a lot of people here, so it was a quiet Christmas. Our housemate Kyle went home to Saskatchewan, so Zen and I had the place to ourselves, which was nice. Z and I bought our groceries for the holidays on the 23rd since I was home early, and then vowed not to do any shopping on the 24th because the grocery store was a madhouse.

On Christmas Eve we tried to see a matinee at the cinema, since I owed Zenon a movie, but both cinemas in town were closed that day. We came home after our fruitless movie search, and low and behold, Zenon cracks and lets me open one present of his choosing. It was the animated Grinch movie, which I had been missing. This is the one movie that gets me into the Christmas spirit above all others, and we didn't have a copy of it. So, we watched it in front of the fire, both of us dozing off before the end. Luckily, I've seen it before. Then, while we were on a Grinch roll, we watched the Jim Carrey version of the Grinch, which I had never seen and thought that I would hate. It came as a great surprise to me that this movie not only didn't suck, but I can see myself watching it again sometime.

Christmas Eve is when my family back home traditionally opens all the presents. My Mom called that night to ask me if I had opened the ones that they'd sent out earlier. I hadn't, so I did while I was on the phone with her. I got a very very nice and very high-tech new winter coat from my parents. Zenon says that I look very good in it, and I have decided to believe him. I also got a major burst of homesickness from their present. Until that night, I hadn't felt too bad about not going home for Christmas. I think that it's because being here is just so foreign and I've never spent Christmas here before, so I didn't feel like I was missing anything. Does that make sense? I just mean that I have nothing here to remind me of home in that way. If I were in Ontario, living in Waterloo, it would kill me not to spend Christmas with my family, but being here has no connection to either Christmas or my family, and is still so unfamiliar, that I was doing OK. I was, anyway, until I opened my present from my Mom. She made me a scrapbook called "A Book of Recipes and Memories" filled with the family recipes that I've been missing and with just about every family photo there is of me, and various other family photos. It is so gorgeous. It almost made me cry.

I had to pull myself together for church, though, as I decided to accompany Zenon to Christmas Mass that evening. I wanted to go to Midnight Mass, but Zenon objected because the service would be in French. I told him that he knew what they'd be saying anyway, and that I would translate for him, but he wasn't having it. So, we went to the evening mass at 8:30pm, which is not nearly as exciting to report. 8:30 Mass just doesn't have the same ring as Midnight Mass. Anyway, we went. It was good. It was made both better and worse by the presence of a number of children in the congregation. Kids are funny. This conversation happened right behind me:

Priest (in pulpit): And the joy of the Lord will be in your hearts tonight.
Child: Why?
Mother: Shhhhhhh!
Child: (whispering) Why?

I almost lost it here, but hid my tides of laughter in an attitude of solemn prayer. After church, Z and I watched The Polar Express, which we had rented earlier. It was quite good, though I didn't like how the children seemed to keep getting rewarded for disobedience. I am just an old fuddy-duddy, though.

Christmas morning involved lots of present opening, of course, since we each had lots of presents. Zen went overboard with me. What's wrong with this guy - does he think he's made of money? Highlights include a necklace with a lovely pendant, a gift cerfiticate for the spa, pajamas, Corner Gas seasons 1 and 2, March of the Penguins, and a mystery novel from the "Home Repair is Homicide" series, which includes "Home Repair is Homicide" home repair tips scattered throughout the story. I started reading it last night, and although I'm only on page 40, I have already learned what tools are essential for even the most basic toolbox. At this rate, I'll be joining Zenon on the jobsite before long.

On Christmas afternoon Zen and I went for a walk to return our movie, and when we got back Brad was here for a visit, so I started dinner. We had a lovely, though low key, Christmas dinner of lemon roasted chicken, mashed potatoes à la Zenon, and vegetables, with Mom's truffles from home for dessert. After dinner we cracked open another present from Zenon to me - the board game Hoopla. This is the funnest game that I have played in a long time. It is like Pictionary Plus. It is from the Cranium family of games. When we tired of the game, we put in some Corner Gas season 1 until Brad needed to leave and Zenon and I got sleepy (which happens a lot faster in front of a roaring (albeit fake) fire).

On Boxing Day we once again tried the cinema, this time with better results. I have fulfilled my part of the bargain and have seen King Kong with Zenon. He now owes me one new penguin movie that is coming out in the fall. KK wasn't too bad, actually. It was a lot better than I was expecting - entertaining and all that. Yesterday we braved the crowds and did some shopping and errands. Zenon had to exchange the hammer I got him for Christmas, and he didn't get a wrestling movie that he was really hoping for, so all of that needed to be rectified. I, on the other hand, knew that Bluenotes was having a huge Boxing Week sale, so I took the opportunity to buy myself some more comfy clothes for home and work. Interestingly, the book store is on the way to Bluenotes. They were also having a huge Boxing Week sale, so I picked myself up a few things. I love books.

Today it was back to work, but I got off at noon, so that's not too bad. I wore one of my new comfy outfits. I looked sleek and mysterious in a black fuzzy jogging suit.

And now you're up to date at Chronicles of Acadia.