Because It's Not Christmas Until Somebody Barfs

Snowflake banner in our dining room.

Tuesday afternoon, Matteas started running a low-grade fever. Tuesday evening, he got very mellow. Towards the end of watching "Home Alone" he started dozing off in my lap, very unusual for him since he'd taken a big nap in the afternoon. My eyes scanned the room, looking for something I could use as a barf receptacle should the need arise. Not five minutes later, Matteas opened his eyes and I heard the trademark wet cough. I lunged for the plastic dish pan full of toy cars I'd spotted earlier and managed to catch all the barf and save myself from having to scrub it out of the carpet. We went upstairs and took a nice long shower, then made a cozy bed downstairs layered with towels to prepare for a long barfy night. Thankfully it wasn't that long. One more big barf of Gatorade and that was the end of the gastric eruptions, though a low-grad fever persists. One thing I'm really grateful for is that someone at church already had the bug and shared that it's a kid-only virus, so I appreciate being able to take care of sick kids with an able body. I was also worried about him having a fever for so long after he quit barfing and was beginning to fear we were at the beginning of something instead of towards the end, but the gal from church said her two year-old did the same thing. Technology is really great sometimes; someone in another city can keep you company while your kid is barfing. I decided to do a "December" sign before switching to "Winter" and hang up all our Christmas cards under it. I haven't kept up well with my picture project, but the last couple of days haven't been all that picturesque.

This little stocking is my favorite part of the banner. I was so tickled when I thought of cutting a candy cane out of the striped paper.

So our recent illness means we won't be participating in my family's Christmas Eve dinner this year. As viruses go it was pretty mild, but the transmission rate seems really fast and we don't want to give any cousins barf for Christmas. Initially I was really bummed about this, but I'm already embracing the opportunity to slow down and de-stress. We have nowhere to be and nothing to finish before we get there; we can take our time, wrap presents, and eat duck. My Mom always makes a beautiful prime rib roast for Christmas Eve dinner, so to make up for missing hers we made a small one of our own tonight. It was amazing. I usually use the slow-roast method because we usually have a larger roast, but tonight it was just the four of us and a little 2.5 pound beauty, so I decided to try the high-heat method from The Joy of Cooking. Before putting it in the oven I rubbed it all over with a paste I made from fresh thyme, oregano, rosemary, garlic and dijon mustard. I think I'm officially a high-heat convert. The texture was sublime, soft and succulent and with a cleaner meat flavor than the slow-roast method I've used before. I made a potato gratin to go with it and steamed green beans. Jack ate in total silence, which is always a sign that he's so focused on enjoying his food that he can't speak. Hopefully he doesn't barf it up later. I'm so curious to try roasting my own duck. Since our usual traditions have gone out the window this year, we decided to make a theme out of non-tradition and our Christmas Eve dinner this year will be Duck a L'Orange. I've eaten duck a few times, but it's one of the few proteins I've never attempted to cook myself. Success or failure, there will be pictures. It's really comforting to me that in the face of not being with my family for Christmas, I've come to the realization that my husband and our two boys really are my family. I still love my parents and everything and I love the tradition of big family get-togethers, but I'm actually looking forward to this Christmas being just the four of us. The boys are such a fun age for Christmas magic, and every snowflake we cut and ornament we hang is a little miracle to them. Christmas was always a huge deal when I was a kid, then as an adult I was always frustrated that it didn't seem to measure up to my memories; kids have changed that, and it's more magical now than ever. Aaron is also full of Christmas cheer, hiding presents for me in the garage and putting mulled cider on the stove. Yes, I think this Christmas will be our best yet.