Fun Old-Fashioned Family Christmas, 2019

For the holidays, daughter Rachel and son-in-law Will traveled to Middle California to join the rest of our small extended family, Vicki and me, daughter Rebecca, son-in-law Jeremy, and grand-daughter Penelope. Despite flu, sniffles, cool and wet weather, and the rest, we had a great time.

Pre-Christmas, choir recital at Penelope's school

And at her dance recital

And at the San Francisco Symphony and Choir's holiday sing-along (box seats,
no less, where I could study the double-reeds)

Night-before gift tradition: Penelope and Molly in her new
Harry Potter costume

Christmas morning seating chart (8 year olds are very
organized)

Surprisingly, our 40 year old Christmas pyramid, from
Rothenburg an den Tauber, whizzed as never before

Montana memories (this is about as religious as we get)

Best costumes, Rachel and Will

Continuing the Christmas Vacation motif, sporting my new
Cousin Eddie bobble-head, now proudly displayed on the
dash of Le Sport, our tenement-on-wheels, parked in the
drive-way outside..."shitter was full"

Distributing the goods

Rebecca with her new Jane Austin purse, from Winchester

Setting for Christmas brunch, major ingredients by Master
Baker Vicki (not pictured, alas: the traditional cheese, meat/
shellfish, and chocolate fondues, which we now have the
wisdom to spread over two days)

Rachel arranging the day-after charcuterie and cheese-tasting (note fine CA wine)

Me orchestrating the cheese tasting

Thus: "Cows, Sheep, and Goats, Oh My" which I though quite clever; Star Cheese
was the Aged Mimolette, from Isigny Ste. Mer (Mickey would have loved it)

Christmas decor in Le Sport

More than a couple times I escorted Penelope to the playground and a rendezvous
with friend Conner, a fellow Potterite

Post-Christmas cookie baking and decorating with Grandma; gluten-free

I was called to join in the bake-off; I had just finished
reading Francine Prose's Blue Angel; thus my cookie
decoration

Rebecca and Jeremy in their best Mary Berry/Paul Hollywood
poses

Vicki documents the occasion

And the Star Baker is...Penelope!

Bonus additional shot: early January tea party with Grandma, a tradition