Are You Ready for Christmas? Yes and No.

 Again for the second year I'm not going home for the holidays. My children and grandchildren won't be visiting us neither (not that they ever have). It's just Mel and I. The first couple of years I made a point of attending all the family get togethers (4th of July, Thanksgiving, or Christmas). That all changed when I couldn't drive because of my seizure in July year before last, and the loss of my vehicle this year. No, we haven't replaced it yet. It's a relative low priority.

Mel won't let me drive her Blazer even though I paid for it. She says I shouldn't drive anymore, but that's her opinion. We both can't be gone from the homestead at the same time for over twenty-four hours because of the critters. We really can't  afford to pay someone to do our chores, nor pay for a motel room to go anywhere. So we're both kind of stuck. But other than me having not seeing my family, we are both right where we want to be.

As far as decorating our homestead for any holiday or season, we take a bah-humbug approach. All the time and hassles of us putting it up, changing it, taking it down and storing it away is just too much trouble. But, we do buy a new American flag for the front of the house just after Memorial Day each year. The winds blowing through this hollar rips them to shreds in a year. With Mel's depressive state during winter, there's no merriment nor giddiness here. 

Holidays are just another day except for our main meals of the day. I always try to make them special. I prepare favorite foods on birthdays, lamb for Easter, a grilled feast for the 4th of July, turkey for Thanksgiving, and a standing rib roast for Christmas. Of course, there's all the fixings/sides to go along with it. We rarely exchange gifts anymore because if we need or want something, we get it for ourselves during the year.

There's almost something sad about only roasting two ribs worth of of a standing rib roast when I used to make servings for 50. Beautifully roasted to perfection (rare to medium) with the centers of the crowns filled with Yorkshire pudding and a side of my homegrown and made horseradish sauce. But still with beef prices soaring this year even locally sourced, I'm thankful I don't have to buy two full racks like days gone by and still have enough ribs to grill during the year. Of course back then, I was buying a whole heifer each year too. Now, I make the pudding in a 6-hole muffin tin. It's good, but not fabulous as the pudding cooked in the meat.

Since my father is bedridden now, my brothers and sisters plus families come to visit during Christmas week instead of all coming at once Christmas day. Plus, my chef daughter and I aren't there to help cook in mass. To be honest, those days are gone for me. Plus, I'm six hours away now, and my chef daughter and her immediate family live in Ireland. That's a far piece to travel for home for the holidays for the five of them. But still, I miss going home and catching up with everyone. 

Mel may or may not visit with her niece and family during the holidays. It all depends on how bad her depression is. I know we have to make the hour trip to her hometown the first week in December for my doctor's appointment. Maybe they'll get together then. They've missed the quarterly meet ups the past two times because of the COVID stuff and the baby being ill. That's the only family she keeps in contact with other than sporadic phone calls or Facebook.

So what are y'all doing for the holidays? Are you ready yet? Nineteen days and counting.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo