Advent - day nine

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 9 lovely tall trees, 8 elegant ornaments, 7 certain suitcases, 6 singing souls, 5 Julenissen, 4 Christmas stockings, 3 special wishes, 2 roller skates, and one very large sea kelp.

Over the years, as our own family grew and started leaving the nest, Harry and I kept trying to be creative and think of different settings and venues for the family holiday gatherings. We didn't particularly say, "Let's all get together for the holidays" - it just seemed to keep happening. Some years everyone wasn't there, but by and large we gathered - and it gradually evolved into gathering after Christmas, for New Year's Eve.

Other traditions evolved - predictions, sometimes going to the cabin at Monrovia Canyon Park, onetime getting a beach house in Laguna, matching p.j.'s for whomever was there on Christmas Eve, potato soup for Christmas Eve dinner, going to the movies on Christmas Day, Plunkets for Christmas morning.

I keep lobbying for a "destination" location - so one year we rented a place in Crestline. I thought a forest setting of trees and snow would add to our enjoyment. It was crowded and fun - we went ice skating, everyone took turns fixing meals, we gave Harry a telescope for his birthday/Christmas gift and had fun setting it up and looking at the stars. Then disaster struck and I got the flu - the stomach kind!! Rapidly it spread through the whole group. Treks had to be made to the laundromat. Some of us went to a motel to isolate ourselves!!

It's been a few years - the memory doesn't seem quite as grim as it sounds - but we haven't all crowded into a strange house since!!

And in spite of that being his introduction into the Terrill Christmas Mode, Robbie still joined our family!!