“Salmon? Of course!”
Not that I needed any encouragement to join them on Christmas morning, of course, but when your younger son throws smoked salmon into the equation it really would be churlish to refuse. I had been twiddling my thumbs, still at a bit of a loss… what do you do with Christmas Eve once the children are grown and you are no longer expected to take charge of Christmas? Then Alex phoned and asked if I would like to come over for breakfast.
The small dog and I greeted the silence of Christmas morning together then came home to her delight at a new batch of tennis balls. Not that they were a surprise, of course, she’d sniffed them out days ago, hovering in their vicinity with heavy sighs, reproachful looks and occasional pathetic whines. I, however, had refused to be out-manoeuvred for once and declined to give them up. Especially as we both know that no matter how delighted she is with the new ones, it will be the old, soggy one we end up playing with.
My mother rang as I was heading to the car to wish me Happy Christmas. That left me in tears, daft as it seems. Then it was breakfast with Prosecco and smoked salmon, shared with Alex and Laura. They had waited for my arrival to unwrap the gifts piled under the tree. So, quite unexpectedly, I got to watch my son open presents on Christmas morning again, while I cuddled my granddaughter and, all unplanned, shared her first Christmas. I don’t think there is another gift they could have given me that would have meant anywhere near as much. Two hours flew by in sheer delight.
Grandma with Christmas Hollie
I was due at my elder son’s by eleven to do the needful and cook his lunch. Christmas is bittersweet for Nick this year with his own son so far away. He suggested I join him, so we sat down to steak together, and though not precisely a traditional Christmas dinner, it was pretty much perfect.
Another young couple had asked me to call in on the way past… they have just become engaged, so it was a lovely few minutes with them too. A red kite was waiting on the hedge as I came home, staying long enough for me to stop and marvel at its beauty… though not long enough for me to point the camera, of course. There had been texts and emails, a phone call with a dear friend and a host of messages. School stuff to check, journals to answer… The phone rings… an hour spent discussing exciting possibilities and suddenly it is evening again and Ani is demanding to be fed. Just time for a walk in the dark… then feet up with a film, a slice of Christmas cake with cheese and a glass of gifted wine.
I’d had no idea what I was going to do with myself today; more stressed by the unknown of a different kind of Christmas than I would ever have been by the familiar hustle and bustle of preparation. I had to accept that ‘different’ didn’t have to mean ‘awful’… and that the choice there rested with me alone. Once I had made that choice, the day was allowed to unfold as it chose … and as usual, any anxiously imagined scenario has borne little resemblance to reality. I’ve had a beautiful Christmas. Any tears have been for all the right reasons… for love, friendship, beauty and kindness. And that, after all, is pretty much what Christmas should be.
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
So pleased to read this, Sue – sounds as if you have had a lovely day. Different can be life-enhancing, can’t it? Happiness to you for tomorrow as well! xxx
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I have, Ali… and have some lovely pictures too. Have a look at the one of my granddaughter… I pressed publish before putting them in by mistake xxx
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Oh, she’s gorgeous, Sue – what a little sweetie! xxx
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She is, Ali 🙂 xxx
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Very nice! Though the combination of smoked salmon and wine for breakfast sounds even weirder than some of the combinations that I use 🙂
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Bearing in mind I’d been up five hours by then, it isn’t so bad, Noah… though it wouldn’t have mattered. I first met smoked salmon and champagne via an all night deli at 3am one morning in Paris. Any time is the right time for that 🙂
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Ah beautiful, Sue. So glad you were with friends and family!
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A lovely day, Eilis 🙂 x
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Mm YUM. Sounds like a fabulous Christmas from this side of the pond!
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It was, Marilyn 🙂
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Great that everything unfolded so naturally and beautifully, Sue. Life is strange in the way she works! Enjoy the rest of the evening.
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You just have to go with it and see where it takes you. Trust. Have a lovely evening Jean
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..you have that wonderful gift of bringing your readers into the present where you are , m’Lady, Sue… great post ..as usual! 🙂 mwaah 🙂
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Thanks, Seumas, Mwah! 🙂
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Sounds like a perfect day, happy Christmas! 🌲⛄️
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It was, Happy Christmas!
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Glad you’ve had such a great time 🙂
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Hope you have too, Richard!
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Thank you, I have 🙂
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😀 Good!
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So glad you had a great day! We also had an unusual Christmas – no kids at all for the first time in 32 years. But between friends, phone calls, and skype we stayed connected and had a good time.
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Feels strange though, doesn’t it? Glad you had a good time too!
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A blessed Christmas to you and your family Sue!
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Thank you Arlene, and to you too.
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“accepting that different doesn’t have to mean awful.” That’s life in a nutshell! Enjoyed each of your Christmas blessings. Similarly, At 77 this Christmas was different from beginning to end, but the whole season was one of the best I can remember. Wonderful to know at this age that some things really can be even better.
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That’s nice to hear, Eileen, on all counts!
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Reblogged this on graemecummingdotnet and commented:
No sign of fried eggs and mashed potato, but this is exactly what I was talking about the other day in A Christmas Twist. Sounds like a terrific day
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really glad you had a truly happy Christmas Day, Sue. May the future continue as bright…
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It was a lovely day. Shame it couldn’t continue a while longer 🙂
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Reblogged this on Anita & Jaye Dawes and commented:
The perfect Christmas…
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What a wonderful post. You just let life flow and followed it and it turned out pretty nice. Enjoy the rest of the festive season!
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Yes, it was a lovely day. Shame about today 🙂
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