The Sparacinos, the ones back home in N.C., have started a tradition of eating sushi on Christmas Eve, and I was suddenly overcome not just with an extremely high level of hunger but also a longing to connect with what my family was doing, so I rallied the troops (both of us) and we bundled up and sat at the bar at Honga's and enjoyed a couple of rolls.
Then we trudged even farther in the cold down to Monica's house for her annual long-running Chrismas Eve gathering. In the old days we would arrive after working in restaurants and stay up late being naughty, and what a relief it is these days to be satisfied with quiet conversation, old friends, gooey Brie and a glass of wine instead of chaos and guilt.
The walk home was cold but the lights on all the houses and porches on the back streets were enchanting and then we found ourselves diving into bed, tired, content and warm on Christmas Eve.
Christmas morning we ate eggy cheesy tortillas, buckwheat-blueberry pancakes and endless cups of coffee. Quiet, frosty, promising. We skied for 6 hours, caught the last lift up as they were closing the gates behind us and half-skidded down the mountain on skritchy Telluride Trail. I did my first Bald Mountain, hiking up and flailing down, and I didn't even really care how poorly I skied, I was just happy to be outside and make my way down my first double black diamond on a glorious sunny day with my husband.
Right after we ate a quinoa-dired cherry-pecan pilaf with roasted butternut squash and lemony-olive oil garlic swiss chard, I hopped next door to Matty K's house, where he was entertaining with another set of new and old friends, scallopped potatoes, prime rib, buttery crescent rolls and green beans. I helped myself to 3 rolls and two servings of potatoes smeared with horseradish sauce. Again, a treat to see some old friends and catch up briefly and bask in the afterglow of a festive weekend.
Needless to say, and no surprise here, it was difficult to go to work today. But I made it. The kids came over this morning and we had another small Christmas morning, watching them open their gifts and feeling successful with what "Santa" had chosen and the amount he had chosen to give. The 3 of them skied together all day, visited me at the Lodge for some hot chocolate and have now dragged themselves off to bed with new books in hand and the agreement that they will not emerge from their room until 7am.
One of the gifts we gave them was a set of walkie-talkies so we can avoid cell phone usage for as long as humanly possible, keeping track of Francis when he skis with his friends, and both of them come summer when they are running amock in town.
Now it is hot tea and laundry until we follow suit and read until we fall asleep.
Thank god it's all behind us. Now can we get on with our winter?
No comments:
Post a Comment