decidedlyodd

On Christmas Eve, we all (me, my parents, my aunt, my uncle, my grandfather, his girlfriend with her daughters and their husbands and partners) gathered at my grandfather’s house in Fullerton. A light meal was served and we opened gifts. We mostly sat around at chatted and watched old home movies. It was a nice time although it was too bad certain family members couldn’t make it do to work or obligations to visit other relatives.

On Christmas Day, most of us from the first day reassembled but both my brothers Kevin and Dan (they had to work the previous day), and my Kevin’s fiance Francine came as well. This time, we had the full Christmas meal of ham, potatoes, yams, green beans and so on. Those who hadn’t been there the night before also opened their gifts.

It was definitely an enjoyable Christmas. Not only was it great to see some family that I haven’t seen in about a year, but the weather has been spectacular. Another interesting aspect of Christmas this year was that my grandfather’s girlfriend’s daughter bringing her partner and their adopted kids. I’m not sure whose kids are whose exactly since there seemed to be some sort of custody sharing which prevented one of the kids from coming yesterday. Apparently, they’ve come over at previous holidays, but since I’m rarely down here, I hadn’t met or seen them before. The daughter was actually quite the comedian and attention seeker (and I mean that in the best possible way). I suppose I really should come out to my grandfather (if he already doesn’t know), but it just hasn’t been a high priority for me.

Unfortunately, I still have this sore throat which is now on day 4. I’m flying back to Seattle tomorrow, so if it’s still bothering me I’ll go to the doctor on Wednesday. It’s strange because I don’t have any other symptoms. I had some congestion at first, but most of that seems to have passed. No fever, no serious fatigue, no rash. Just some strong pain on the left side of the back of my mouth. In the mean time, ibuprofen helps keep it from feeling too sore.