12/25/19: Christmas Day

Herman and I enjoyed Christmas cheer and a lovely ham dinner last night at Jason and John’s home. We began the evening’s celebration at Mike and John’s house with cocktails and snacks with several of our closest friends, and then swung by our home to pick up Trek before going to J&J’s dinner party. 

We had a delightful thirty minutes chatting with J&J before their neighbors joined us, Earl and Will. From that point on, the evening took a turn. Earl was quiet and seemed an attentive listener, content to suck on is vodka while letting the conversation run its course. His partner, Will, became Earl’s exact opposite. Will took over the conversation to the extent nobody could get a word in edgewise. Will was extremely Australian, somewhat drunk, and after twenty minutes was very annoying. By the time we sat down to dinner all I wanted was to wolf down some food and leave. 

This was the first party that our hosts extended an invitation to include Trek, and he became the centerpiece of the conversation, charming everyone. Indeed, for the first hour Will could talk of nothing but everything he knew about dogs. 

In spite of Will holding court, Herman and I did enjoy ourselves. J&J were amusing and the dinner was delicious. We have become much closer to J&J over the past year, and we really enjoy their company. And I have to admit I loved spending Christmas Eve at two homes that went all out with Christmas decorations—decked out trees, tinsel and balls, carols. It was all lovely. Herman and I have never put up a tree or made any kind of holiday fuss. We don’t even exchange gifts. So to spend a few hours surrounded by Christmas cheer was like taking a step back into childhood. 

Today is the calm between the storms. In the last few weeks we’ve attended a dozen parties, events, and dinners. The holiday season has kept us busy almost every day. But today we have no plans. Today is a rest day, because tomorrow Ben Wong arrives. That means eight days of nonstop dinner parties and outings. So today we will rest and enjoy being together in our home.