I wasn’t entirely sure how Christmas Day was going to go this year, given the change in the family situation. We’d long ago, as part of our Parenting Plan, agreed to continue doing exactly the same thing for Christmas Day that we’d done for the past few years: namely go to my in-laws for the day. It’s the perfect compromise: it means the Kinderbesten get to spend the day with both parents, without being shuttled around from place to place; it’s still a proper family Christmas; and we celebrate on what is effectively ‘neutral territory’. It also means I don’t have to cook, which is a bonus.
As has been going on for the past few weeks, I was woken up early by the morning sun pounding through my sorry excuses for bedroom curtains. The Kinderbesten, bless them, awoke a little later. The Elderbeast ploughed directly into his stocking. Meanwhile, in a turn of events that I will find forever amusing, the Kinderbeast insisted on having some iPad time first (“I’ll open them later” he said casually, when I asked about the stocking full of presents sitting in his bedroom).
Main present opening happened a few hours later, after breakfast, once the Kinderbesten’s mother joined us. A little while after that, we headed to the in-laws for yet more present opening (during which I was delighted to acquire a fresh bottle of Grey Goose). Much fun was had with the Kinderbesten’s new Cozmo robot, and a very delicious Christmas dinner was consumed. Overall a perfectly pleasant family Christmas.
The Kinderbesten and I headed home at about 7pm. I had determined to end the day with a viewing of Gremlins, even though I was convinced I’d only make it about half an hour before falling asleep. In the end, I managed to get through the whole film (with a glass of wine in hand), which proved a most excellent end to the day.
Christmas: survived!