Christmas with the McDonnell's

Christmas morning was a quiet one this year, just the two of us doing a video chat with my parents, 6am our time and 10pm Christmas Eve. It was great watching them open their gifts since I had even forgotten what I even brought home for them when we came to visit for Tobias's wedding in July.

Since we have no family here in Ireland, it was great getting invited to spend Christmas day with my 'adopted' family here, the McDonnell's. I have met most of Sean's family before, so it was not super awkward when we showed up Christmas day. We were so excited to spend the day with family even if it was not our own. We sat down to the most amazing dinner, heaped up on our plates, and then they put down even more food on the table. Ham, turkey, 4 types of potatoes, cooked carrots, cawlifolower, brocoli (and yes I even at the brocoli after I rolled it around in mash potatoes and gravey so I would not feel the icky brustly things and then swallowed whole), stuffing, hot pinapple, brussle sprouts, indian parsnips and gravey. It was so good, and I knew that I had to eat everything on my plate. Once we ate, the kids got to open their Santy gifts. It was pure mayhem when all the gift opening started. Mama McDonnell even gave us gifts (I am glad that we brought her something). With the ice that has been forming, Sean's sister slipped and broke her leg, so it was an eventful day. Once the kids were squared away with their gifts and the boys, including Ben, disappeared upstairs to play with the new Xbox, we tucked into some dessert. There were three different desserts; triffle, Christmas Pudding and chocolate espresso mousse pots. So good but by then I was ready to explode. We had a good bit of banter with the wine flowing and around midnight Sean got us home. It was a good end to a great day!