On our Christmas – the 23rd – my mother made her famous egg rolls.
Jeremy made a turkey where he first deboned the entire bird and then stuffed it and then roasted it which made it a roast which looked like a turkey, but you could slice through it like a loaf of bread. It was delicious.
We unboxed sherah’s pecan pie from Zingerman’s which is a deli in Ann Arbor which is where Seth went to school so we spent time talking about Ann Arbor.
We demolished the pie. (of course, like the rest of the country, I ate too many sweets this holiday season. I was down a few pounds from a mild GI issue earlier this month and now I’ve regained that and a tad more from all the chocolates and cookies and cupcakes. hmmm… no good.)
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I did spend Christmas Eve and Christmas at the hospital working. In a strange way, I was happy to do this, though always, always, as I’m pulling out of my driveway a little past 6 am, I never want to go to work. (I think that maybe I’m just psychologically set up to always hate going to work? Might be true unfortunately. I’m working on it.) I am forever grateful to my family for adjusting Xmas slightly for this. The patient load was lighter for the two days – trying to rush people out in time for the holiday and setting up some cheer for people who knew they were going to spend it in the hospital. I’m good enough friends now with my coworkers and comfortable enough on the unit to relax a bit and enjoy banter and baked goods in the staff lounge. Though it might have been lighter – it still was filled with drama – a couple of stat team calls, a few folks walking out AMA on the unit. It really never stops.
Working in a Catholic hospital on Christmas, I don’t think I’ve ever said Merry Christmas as many times as I did on Tuesday. I honestly think I more than quadrupled the number of times in my life I’ve said Merry Christmas. Normally, my greeting over this time of year is the non-religious, all-inclusive Happy Holidays but then it also occurred to me that I normally don’t see so many people on Christmas to wish them a Merry Christmas. It’s not only the medical staff that has to work on Xmas, the food staff, the housekeeping staff, the transport staff – everyone still shows up. That’s a lot of people to say Merry Christmas to.
My favorite patient on Christmas had set up this lovely creche by her window:
Complete with the three wise men with camels. Note the empty 495 beltway in the background:
I took care of so many funny, lively, tired, confused, hurting tummy & short of breath grandmothers on Christmas! So many! They all loved talking about their grandchildren or were surrounded by them.
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Jeremy makes me my lunch everyday. Such small pleasures!
He even packed a small holiday kiss in the middle of my cashews.
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Edda went to the zoo on Christmas Eve with Jeremy, Kiki & Kappa and Louisa. She was all smiles and was quite taken with this hopping rodent which I’ve forgotten the name of. It’s nocturnal, so they are tricking it into being active during the day with this red light.
Jeremy and Vince went mountain biking on Christmas day!
