The New Year is finally here!
The past couple of weeks have been a busy mix of spending time with family, friends, and squeezing in time for self-care and cleaning. Family time is always increased tenfold in the winter because of Christmas, New Year, and then birthdays that never seem to stop. A ton of events in very little time. I have the pictures to prove it.
Christmas Eve is when my whole family celebrates. We all gather at one of my aunts houses for a buffet style dinner and exchanging presents. My cousin group, the ‘BBQ Team,’ and I do our own Yankee Swap exchange. This year we did an As Seen on TV theme. I went home with a skin vacuum of sorts, to suck out all my blackheads!
A few years ago, my sister and I started hosting brunch on Christmas morning. Everyone dresses super casual, or in holiday pajamas. It started in my parents’ house, but has since transitioned to my sister and brother-in-law’s house. The set up is always beautiful, decorations and chafing dishes for all the hot food. The attendees are all the ‘kids’ in the family (kids meaning anyone who is not in my parents’ generation, so the ages range from 15-35). So I had seen everyone Christmas Eve, and then again on Christmas morning. After having breakfast, we engage in a cheap Yankee Swap with everyone, and it’s always a good time with 25-30 participants. This year I went home with a mini blowtorch meant for crème brûlée, my favorite dessert. After the Yankee Swap exchange, everyone just hangs out, watching movies, enjoying their new presents, or playing video games.
My absolute favorite things about Christmas day is the food, and socializing with a complete family from multiple sides. Everyone just gets along and it’s always full of laughs. Two of the days I look forward to the most every year are Christmas day and Friendsgiving (my sister hosts a potluck on the Friday after Thanksgiving every year) for this very reason.
I was even able to see my college friend group over the break. We were only together for a couple of hours chatting, but having all five of us together is so rare. Not only was it hard to coordinate with everyone’s work schedules, two people no longer live in RI, so that’s an added layer of restriction. But luckily the time aligned for us.
Finishing out the year, my cousin’s birthday falls on December 31st, so in the days between Christmas and NYE, the BBQ team had dinner and drinks together to celebrate and separate her day from the holiday. Dinner was at Cav, and drinks at The Dorrance, two beautiful places in Providence.
My sister hosted a New Years party, and we turned her garage into a club. From the disco lights, decorations, and cocktail tables, her garage looked unrecognizable. Her friends also have DJ equipment, so the music was blaring. And my family definitely has no problem with keeping the drinks flowing.
As everyone in the BBQ Team’s life is changing – houses, marriages, kids etc., I know times like this, being all together, are going to diminish. Even if my life isn’t on that course, I’m happy that everybody’s life is moving forward toward happiness. That’s why I appreciate ringing in the New Year with them a little extra. On to 2019.
