Christmas Cheer

Here are some pics of our Boxing Day celebration. This was the last Christmas at Carmel and Ralph's house. We look forward to Christmas  2009 at the new place.

Two generations of Canadian Devines.

Lovely ladies in red -- I LOVE this one of my mom.

The "kids table" -- the kids are growing up!

I must explain the crown -- I got this lovely apron from my goddaughter, Grace. She made it for me -- it says "Christmas Queen". I wore it for the holiday baking and cooking and here, for the placement of the Christmas crackers. Carmel suggested I sport a crown to complete my ensemble. Nuff said.

Sara embodies the Christmas spirit and then, runs out of gas! God bless us all.

A Stoneman Christmas!

In even years, like this year - 2008 - we celebrate with the whole family on Boxing Day. It used to be Mom, Dad, Noreen and I spending a quiet day at home while Carmel and Shaun celebrated the holiday on the 25th with their in-laws. These days became known as "A Stoneman Christmas", a reference to one of Dad's records from the 70s. 

I can't even believe I was able to get an image of this album, but here it is. Apparently the Stoneman family were reknowned country singers. As kids, we grimaced when Dad played this record. I can remember the nasal twang of "We'll have a Stoneman Christmas".

So since then,"Stoneman" in our family vernacular became synonymous with pathetic, in an Eeyore-kind-of way.

On those quiet Christmas afternoons, Noreen and I needed some way to amuse ourselves and a new tradition was born.  We would count and sort a tin of Quality Street Chocolates, a family favourite. You couldn't get more "stoneman" than that.

Julia has joined in on this fun over the years, and this year was begging during our Christmas dinner if she could please go and count the candies.

After counting and sorting, this year a new activity was born - candy design. Here is Julia's floral creation.  For the record , this year's container held 93 candies.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Reading the reply from Santa and checking out the stocking stash!

The greatest gift is family. We missed having Nana with us Christmas morning.

Julia asked for some hip hop clothes -- it was the first time I shopped in La Senza girl - another milestone for Mummy. I keep reminding myself that she also asked for an Easy Bake Oven. That's what 6 year olds do.

Julia and Noreen have a snuggle. Julia made this snowman ornament for me.

Papa always has gum to share with Julia; she wanted to make sure he doesn't run out. Julia's favourite gift from Santa - a manicure and pedicure set. Gotta love the spa.  She's her mother's daughter, for sure!

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa

Did your slay ever get stuck? Do you have magic? Do you like oringer jus and cookies? I had a veere bad fever but I am better now. I hope you have a safe jrne. Thanks for the presints. 

Love Julia.

The simple questions of a child. Julia was well aware of holiday travellers stuck at airports, struggling to get home for Christmas. She herself was worried on the Friday before Christmas that storms would keep us from our family in Sarnia. We didn't have any magic, but were fortunate to make it home safely between the wintery blasts. That was a great blessing; others weren't so lucky, stranded at airports.

This year I looked on with wonder as Julia set the Christmas Eve table for Santa.  She selected her favourite gingerbread creations and arranged them with such care on our special Santa plate. She went back and forth between leaving apples and carrots for the reindeer as well as wondering whether to leave Santa milk or orange juice.  The rituals of Christmas Eve -- all so special for the kids and for the kid in me too.

Last stop for the Gingerbread Train!

Another delicious batch of gingerbread to enjoy. Katie has enjoyed this tradition since she was in her high chair. I think the first year, it was sugar cookies. I remember Katie just licking the icing off the cookies. Then a few years later, Carmel and I tried a Company's Coming recipe for gingerbread -- what a disaster. The recipe we now use was published in the Richmond Hill newspaper a number of years ago. It was submitted by the editor's wife, Nancy DEVINE - no relation - but destined to be the divine favourite of our family!

We were thrilled to have Nana and Papa join the decorating team this year. Michael explains his technique to Papa.

Do you like my cookies? Carmel loves to decorate trees and stars!

What a team - hard at work! Break time - very important to sample your product.

Christmas smiles.

Worn out elf!

More baking - Easy Bake style!

This is what my Easy Bake Oven looked like back in the day! Many a Saturday morning was spent perfecting recipes and burning our fingers. What a thrill it was to look through that postage stamp of a window and witness the magic a 100 watt bulb could do!

Fast forward some 40 years or so, and here is Julia's Easy Bake Oven. It was one of Julia's requested gifts from Santa, but Christmas came early as Julia received this wonderful gift from her thoughtful babysitter, Jan. I was thrilled to see the retro turquoise back again, even if the oven was now a microwave!

I remember the pans being bigger, don't you?

And there were no safety features like this yellow pronged thingy! We didn't care if the pans burned our fingers -- the tasty treat was worth it.

Julia was so excited to decorate this first cake for Papa! 

Of course, Santa knew that Julia now had the oven, so he reworked his list so that Julia got lots of mixes and a state-of-the-art icing tool.

All aboard the gingerbread train!

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

It was a feat this year to make it home, dodging the storms as we went, but we got to Waterloo safe and sound. Sunday was a blustery, cold and snowy day -- perfect for staying in and making gingerbread.

Gingerbread with the cousins is an annual tradition, dating back to -- gosh!-- I don't know when. It must be at least 10 years! We've nicknamed the event the gingerbread train because it is my first stop on the way to Sarnia for the holidays (and where a second batch is made for Santa!)

When I get to Waterloo, and we begin this wonderful ritual, I always breathe a sigh of relief - the holidays have finally started. 

I love this picture - the Waterloo Devines crowded around the table, all hands on dough! It doesn't seem that long ago that the now teenagers (Owen and Maggie) and tween (Jack) were even younger than Julia and had to scramble up on the chairs to cut out their favourite shape and smother it with icing and sugary decorations. 

A shift in Santa's Workshop!

Julia really enjoyed the baking and crafting this Christmas. Once the shopping was done, we were able to devote our time to making gifts for family and friends. These mason jar cookie concoctions were made for her teacher and for our dear day care workers at the Before and After school program. 

Once upon a time, I used to craft something each Christmas for my nieces and nephews. It started with their stockings for their first Christmas in Sarnia, and the last one was painted mirrors for their bedrooms in 2003, the Christmas before Julia came. I had seen the idea for these little snowmen and suggested to Julia that we make them for her cousins and fill them with red & green m&ms. 

She was very excited about this project, and loved playing secret Santa, getting them organized for the stockings when everyone arrived on Boxing Day. Great care was given in deciding which cousin would like which snowman face.

My favorite Christmas activity has always been the baking, whether it is baking for my ladies' group cookie exchange or for gifts for our family and friends or the gingerbread for with the cousins - I love it all. Many of us get great comfort from the rituals of Christmas, and this is special one for me. I love putting on the Christmas music, enjoying the lights of the tree, while I stir, cut, sample the holiday treats. Needless to say, I love that Julia loves the tradition of holiday baking as well.  No surprize that she asked Santa for an Easy Bake Oven this year.

One of Julia's jobs was to crush the candy canes for our holiday fudge (recipe courtesy of my dear friend, Eleanor) as well as the Ritz crackers for our Skor Squares (thanks to my sister, Carmel for this crowd pleaser).

I am struck by how young Julia looks in these photos - so many of the pictures I take of her lately show me a face of a girl looking older than her years. She's growing so fast - too fast - so I'm glad these shots capture a bit of my little girl.