Mary Christmas and the Jingle Balls
That’s it, christmas is done. Well, almost done.
It’s been a good one. There has been pretty much nothing negative. That alone is nice. When I was a kid christmas was fun and magic. Then I grew older and bitter and christmas was horrible and depressing. And now it’s swinging the other way, christmas is nice and enjoyable. So that’s quite good.
Like I said earlier, we don’t have a lot of traditions anymore. So I had most of the day to do as I please. I went to see the goats, naturally. And they gave me the best present. The best. They gave me the present of sleepiness. And by that I mean…
They got down and sat there sleepily. How sweet. It’s been a long, long time since I had the joy of sitting with goats lying next to me. Usually when they are inside and I am there then they are all excited and running around and I have treats and it’s feeding time and there’s comotion and chaos and so on. Which is a lot of fun. But there’s nothing as sweet as a tired goat.
I brought a bag of mixed treats. All their favourites. Peanuts and hazels and raisins and salt sticks and crackers and carrots and apples. They loved it, of course. And that was when Mads suddenly decided to lie down. He reminded me of that stereotypical relative at christmas who eats too much and then collapses in the comfy chair and dozes off. Hehe. I love when Mads gets tired like that. His eyes slowly dropping. Making snoring sounds. I sat down next to him and was happy.
Is there anything better than having a goat falling asleep with his head in your lap? It is just so sweet and beautiful. I love it.
I don’t think he fell completely asleep, but he did doze off a bit. While Magnethe was standing in the back. Every now and then she’d get too close or make a noise and Mads’s eyes would fly open and he’d turn his head quickly and make his “don’t you come near, this is MY food/plume/hay/water” grunt. And Magnethe would take a step back and then I’d take his head and turn it so it was lying in my lap again. And his eyes would start to drop. Peaceful.
Eventually Magnethe got tired of standing around. She came over and sat down close to us.
Beautiful. I moved to sit in between them, so I could give them both nice cuddles and scratches. And I let Magnethe rest her head on me too.
Although Mads got a bit jealous when I didn’t pay attention to him for a while. I must admit that it makes me happy that he is possessive about me like that. It is nice to be appreciated.
They are wonderful and sweet goats. I really wanted to just lie down and doze off with them. I can’t imagine a comfier way to rest.
The only way it could have been better would have been if Vanilje was there. Too bad they couldn’t have let her stay for christmas and then take her to Kurt’s place afterwards. But okay. I hope she will be back soon.
A very sweet christmas with the goats.
Then I went home and got some lunch and then I went and took a nap. My sleeping rythm is a little out of whack, what with the vacation just having started and all. So I was tired. Tired-happy. Went to sleep with a tired smile on my face.
When I got up it was time for the family christmas. A very nice dinner. We should eat together as a family more often, it’s actually quite nice. Of course it helps that it’s a gorgeous feast of a meal. With not an onion in sight. And my uncle being there was good too. A very nice and calm guy. So it was all good. Oh and guess who won the prize when it was time for the ris-a-la-mande rice dessert? That’s right, I did! Plume did! Plume got the whole almond! Plume, that’s me! I won, I won, I won. I can’t remember the last time I won the prize. Ten years ago. I finally got a chance to do the old prank of keeping the almond hidden in your mouth while everyone keeps eating and trying to find it. Haha. Fun, fun, fun. I got a little box of chocolates. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive. And I shared the chocolates with everyone else. Because tis the season to share.
And now for the important bit. What loot did I score this year? My pockets are full to the max with: Seinfeld season 7, Indiana Jones Trilogy, a gift certificate and some cash. That’s quite good. The DVD boxes were my main wishes for this year and I am well happy with them. Gift certificates and cash are always handy. The only real disappointment of the evening was that my brother didn’t get me anything. Not because I am greedy and want stuff. But just because. You know, it’s christmas. We aren’t big on christmas and presents and traditions, and we did sort of talk about maybe not giving presents and saving money. But still. It’s not like I got him anything great. I got this little santa figurine thing. Santa standing at a huge fridge. And then you can open up the fridge. And inside I put some cash. Enough for a CD or DVD. Sort of like a gift certificate, only a little more fun. But anyway. He says that he is going to get me something. So it’s okay. Maybe I can guilt him into getting me that Friends 10 season DVD set mwahaha. I’m actually considering using my certificate+cash to get that. Santa can’t fit a 30 DVD box in his sack, so I might have to buy it myself. I like Friends, so sue me.
Anyway. A nice christmas. Maybe the best since my childhood? I think so actually. Since we don’t have thanksgiving in Denmark, maybe I can use this time to give thanks for the blessings I have received. For the friends I have found, for the animals that I love, for the peace of mind I am feeling.
Thank you all. I hope your christmasses will be good and kind. I am sending my love. Not in a box, wrapped in glittery paper. But via thoughts and good vibes.
Merry christmas and happy holidays.
December 25th, 2006 at 22:42
I’m really glad that you had a great Christmas!
I got Season 7 of Seinfeld as well, so we can be hanging out these holidays watching it together.
December 25th, 2006 at 22:48
We went to my parents house on Christmas eve to celebrate. My sister and her husband and his 9 year nephew came, too. We had lasanga, salad, garlic bread, and cookies for dessert.
Then came present time. I got a nice calendar with garden/flower pictures, some cash, gift certificate to a bookstore, and a Sudoku puzzle book. My husband got a Sponge Bob calendar (yay, for Sponge Bob), some hand lotion, cash, and some candy.
We played a board game “Life”. The 9 year nephew was a BIG help in explaining the game to us adults. It had been years since we had played it. My sister won, then the nephew, then me, then my brother-in-law.
My husband and I are having a quiet meal this evening, go thru our Christmas stockings (small gifts), visit the goats, and call it a day. The Christmas stockings are a new tradition this year for us. It’s fun to start a new tradition.
Plume, sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas. I’m so glad for you. You deserve some happy times and some peace of mind. When things get to looking down again, you can remember back to this happy Christmas memory to let you know that things do change and can get better again.
Question: Do you or any of your blog fans make/keep New Year’s Resolutions? Thought that might be an interesting question to ask everyone. Comments wanted, please! I’ll tell you mine, if you ask me “pretty please”!
December 26th, 2006 at 23:02
Belinda – We are Seinfeld buddies!
Deb – Sounds like a pretty good christmas to me. It’s been ages since I’ve experienced christmas in a house with kids. I’d like to try that again sometime soon. Maybe I should go out and make babies myself!
We’ve never had christmas stockings. My impression is that we don’t really have that tradition in Denmark. But I always see it in American filmes.
I have never made resolutions myself. Although I might this year. For some reason it feels like the time is right. I dunno. So, pray tell, what are your resolutions going to be? Pretty please?!