Christmas Eve

Arriving back, we found everyone on the pouch having drinks around a tree. We joined them by sitting on the logs of trees that were laid out in a circle. Alcohol was amongst the drinks laid out but I chose some fruit juice. I didn’t want to be judged on the choice. Fred took a malt drink.

Was this family this joyful or was it the drinks that contributed to the effect? I had never laughed this hard before as the family cracked jokes on some past events. Fred and his cousin were the center of the topics and I enjoyed this as I didn’t know some of the things about him. The kids were playing some random games that involved running around and something close to hide and seek.

The awkward moment came when Polly started asking us about the wedding plans. We looked at each other with a blank stare as we didn’t have an answer yet.  Some more probing by the family on my wishes on the wedding day was tormenting enough. This is what I was going to deal with in the coming days. Fred tried to save the moment by telling them the date would be set once we go over my parents’ home and tell them about the good news but it didn’t work out as expected. My soon to be mother in law changed the subject when she noticed I was getting uncomfortable to work related stuff. I breathed a sigh of relief.

As the time moved on, it started being chilly so we all moved back into the house only to find some hot cups of tea and coffee already prepared. Each of us took a cup as we waited for dinner. The smell of chicken in the oven mesmerized me and I smiled broadly while walking to the family room. Those chefs know their work! The Christmas tree had been set up which gave the room a festive feeling. Some gifts were set up under the tree and this reminded me of mine that I had bought. I ran upstairs and got the gifts back to the tree.

We had an early dinner on the dining table after which we sat on the couches. The head of the family, Fred’s dad then started the family tradition of opening the presents on Christmas Eve.