Happy Holidays

December 23-28, 2025                                     Most Recent Posts:
Fort Clinch State Park                                      To Walkabout and Back
Fernandina Beach, Florida                     Dickens On Centre More Fun        

On December 23rd,  I flew Southwest Airlines  even though I was going Northeast to Maryland.   Southwest had a strange policy for seating.  First come first served and they assign who is first come.   You board by a number they give you when you check in.  So I ended up in the last group to board and in the middle seat between two folks who more than filled up their seats.  But it was only a 2 hour flight so you gets what you gets.   I understand Southwest is changing the policy in January (of course).  Carrie picked me up at the airport as the kids were in school.  It’s the first time they haven’t been there to greet me.  I spent most of the rest of the day after I got there wrapping presents I’d had sent.

A tradition in our family on Christmas Eve day, the 24th,  is to hit the bakery and pick up yummy pastries for Christmas morning.

I’d never seen a sign like this before.  Have you?

If you buy enough pastries, you get them in this sweet box instead of a bag..

This is a seriously good bakery not like picking them up in the grocery store.

But apparently Santa prefers cookies not pastries,  so the crew went to work making his favorites which were determined to be chocolate chip.

After the hard work of cookie baking it was time to hit the park for some exercise.  It actually hit a high of 50 degrees here today which in their world is balmy.  Our monkey can go all around the circle of rings which none of the rest of us could do at all.  He’s got some strong arms for his size although I suppose his lighter weight makes it easier.

Back at the house it was time for playing Sorry    Wish the photographer had moved that water bottle.

Celia and I played Go Fish with seriously giant cards and she was pretty happy when she won.

I was the happy one playing Slap Jack with Colin at least at this point.  He ended up winning two games in a row.

We watched A Charlie Brown Christmas which I had no idea has been around since 1965.  Everybody loves the poor little tree.

And then it was time for bed after putting out the cookies and milk for Santa.
They leave their letters to Santa for him thinking that they don’t want them to be like birthday cards I sent one year which never did arrive.  USPS postal funding cuts what they are.  I thought they were pretty stingy with the milk.  But then if Santa gets milk at every stop…..

Santa must have been happy with it.  Early Christmas morning, he had filled the stockings with care.

And left wonderful looking presents under the tree.

Lots of excitement on Christmas morning but they did manage to pose for a picture

I managed to get at least one decent picture of each of us opening a gift except somehow not Carrie.   I was sitting next to her on the sofa which is probably why but I’m sad it’s missing.

And then in the afternoon all the Iwanowskis came for a dinner provided by everyone with much cooking by Matthew’s mother Joan.  I don’t have many pictures of that.  It’s quite a group.  I’m guessing 22+.

Carrie sent this picture of Celia and her favorite Cousins.  They are Matthew’s sister Diana’s girls.   Everybody’s darling Carmen in the front and then from left to right Fiona, Celia and Amelia.  Matthew’s mother Joan is in the background cooking.

This family does have a great time together.  Lots of kidding and joking.  You can see Matthew pointing his finger at his brother Mark and Carrie laughing beside him.

And then the big day was over.  I had another two days before my flight home on the 28th.  The temperature dropped like a stone on the 26th with a high of 32 and a warm up to 36 on the 27th.  That’s not my kind of weather so I didn’t go outside once either day.  Colin wanted to go down to the stream but wouldn’t go if I didn’t.  As much as I love him……the answer was nope, tooooo cold.

Matthew’s cousin Jen, her husband James and their girls Gabby and Gwen came by in the afternoon for a couple of hours so the kids played and the adults talked and ate leftovers.   Later the kids and I played floor puzzles including the new  Rainforest one I’d gotten Colin and which I don’t have a picture of us doing.  That is it finished on the floor behind me.  More games of Sorry, the family favorite.  Celia and I did times tables drills which she’s not crazy about.

One day we played with the new game I got them called Kollide which was a lot of fun.  You divide up the magnets evenly and try to place them inside the rope circle.  If they grab each other, you have to take all the magnets that are attached.  The winner is the one who can get rid of all his magnets.  Lots of laughter which is the best sign that something’s a hit.

In the basement we also played magnet darts which is loads of fun.  No pictures of that either apparently.  Neither Carrie nor I had our cameras down there.  I’m pretty bummed that I didn’t record so many of these things we did with pictures but at least they are recorded here for the pictures in my memory.  I find it harder and harder to remember to document my life.

The night before I left, we finished out my stay watching Mr. Popper’s Penguins with Jim Carey.  It was great.  So Silly!!

The last thing before I said good night to them was to brush our teeth together.  Such memories are so wonderful.   Hope your holiday was filled with wonderful memories too.