Christmas in Texas

     When we entered the plane that would carry us 16 hours from Doha to Houston, the flight attendant welcomed us and added, "Merry Christmas."  At first I didn't quite catch what he was saying, so unattuned was I to that greeting.   There was room for Courtney to stretch out across three seats, and for Maxine to make her cozy bed across two.  I watched movies on the screen in front of me, and then became fascinated by the moving map that showed where the plane was on the globe and its trajectory.  When the map said we were flying over Iceland, I looked down at craggy snow-covered peaks.  When we flew over James Bay in Canada, I thought about Henry Hudson and tried to imagine cold.

 My Christmas present

     We arrived at the Houston airport at about 6 PM on Christmas Eve.  We moved quickly though immigration and customs, and then pushed our carts of luggage out to where David would be waiting for us.  Imagine my surprise when Judy was there too! I was totally tricked.  I never had a clue that she would fly to Texas to join me for Christmas.  All of her reassurances about our having Christmas together on the 28th, after I returned to Portland, were just a ruse.  What  a  joyous surprise reunion.

David's Christmas Eve dinner

     David had cooked us an elegant dinner--mushroom quiche, red pepper quiche, salad (oh fresh vegetables!) with quinoa,  a very good wine, and See's candy for dessert.

Decorating the tree

     Maxine woke early the next morning, eager to put up the tree and decorate for Christmas.  She and I wrapped presents while  Courtney found their  little tree, and then Maxine told me the story of each ornament.   We strung white lights around the living room and dining room, and hung Maxine's cut -out snowflakes from them.   Maxine relished making the room pretty. She loves to give presents, and covering them with paper and ribbons lots of scotch tape just makes it more special.   She makes occasions of every family activity, makes every meal a party.

     We opened presents.  Maxine's Grandpa John sent her a Dora the Explorer indestructible CD player with discs of upbeat Mexican music.  We all danced.

Ballerina cowgirl

Happy

     That afternoon I took a hot bath.  Such luxury!  We slept off jet lag, hung out together, and joined  Maxine as she introduced us to her stuffed animals and played with the toys she hadn't seen in three months.  The next day we did the same, and ate another feast prepared by David.  He cooked a spiced leg of lamb, potatoes simmered in lamb juices, spaghetti with his rich tomato sauce, and spinach with oregano, onions, garlic, and Greek olives.  Family, fun, and feasting make a Merry Christmas.

Dancing