Minnie’s Musings

The absolute best bit of Christmas is the gathering of friends and family. People moan about spending time with people who annoy them, but I regard Christmas as a time to put aside the wrankles of the year and remember that these are people you share a lifetime of memories with.

We begin with a fortifying glass or two of champagne over the road, with families who gather for an hour or two every Christmas morning and then attempt to serve a perfectly cooked – not incinerated – dinner shortly thereafter. One now avoids getting too tipsy as one wants to minimize the potential for accidents once back in the kitchen.

Family motors up shortly thereafter. This year we had a collection of the ‘usual suspects’ who pitch in to help and obey my every command (I like to think this is because I am a domestic goddess, but it might have more to do with the plethora of sharp knives within my reach). This year my focus was on encouraging them to wash pots and pans as we went along. A work in progress.

On Boxing Day we saw more family who squidged round a long table to partake of my beef soaked in a bottle of red wine. At 14 for dinner this is not quite half of the full tribe I married in to. They are a lively bunch, most of whom disappear to watch the football for the afternoon, leaving the rest of us with the telly and chocolate coins.

Breaking bread and catching up on news, as well as speculating on which sprog is most likely to produce a sproglet next, is just part of the pleasure. Welcoming new people into the fold and seeing the children gabbling away with the ease of people who have known each other their whole lives is another.

Family – in all its shapes and forms – is a blessing. One might even wipe away a tear as we gather.