A few add-ons from Christmas Day: the eagar gifted; many hands in the feast; the gift from mom Helen Peetook of Wainwright

Last night, before going to bed to collapse for ten hours, I posted just one picture from our Christmas Day, even though I had pulled nine aside. I was just too tired to post them. I'm still in a bit of a daze, need to find the energy to get back to work, but in the meantime, as long as they are sitting in the folder, ready to go, it seems reasonable to post the remaining, rather than to just let them slip unseen into eternity.

So here is Jobe, about to receive one of many gifts.

And here is Jobe again, playing with one of Lynxton's gifts, from Margie and me. I think Lynxton needs to grow and mature a bit to really get the gist of this gift, but Jobe took one look at it and got right into it.

And here we are at the dinner table, doing a round of applause that started out for those who had prepared a particular item for the first time but in the end grew to encompass Margie, who had made the dressing, cooked the turkey, took a lead roll in the biscuit and jello-banana salad, both of which turned into a team effort. Melanie was the one who made the creamy topping for the jello salad and she also began the potato peeling. Lavina took over after Melanie cut her finger and Rex mashed the potatoes.

Charlie, for example, had made some truly excellent cranberry sauce from raw cranberries.

Cortney, who, in less than a month will become our daughter-in-law, did the Brussels sprouts. She mixed in some bacon and I don't know what seasoning wise, but, in all honesty, exaggerating not one whit, I can say these were the best Brussels sprouts I ever tasted.

She and Rex also prepared a ham, which was awfully damned good, too. Maybe not quite as good as the ham they smoked for us last Easter, which was the best ham I ever ate, but awfully damned good.

Lisa made a "feminist cheesecake." She did not know it was a feminist cheesecake until she walked through the door with it and someone shouted, "Lisa brought a feminist cheesecake!" At Thanksgiving, she baked a genuine "Feminist Casserole" from a recipe. The brand seems to have stuck.

She and Bryce teamed up on the punch. Jacob, Lavina and boys created the pumpkin bread.

You can see the edge of a pumpkin chiffon pie. That pie was made from a recipe passed down by my late mother and now it is Melanie who does the pie making.

This list is not meant to be all-inclusive and does in fact leave some things out, like the fact that I carved the turkey.

Today, December 26, by the way, is Kalib's birthday. He is five. He sure did get to be five fast. Pretty soon, he will be 50. Margie and I will be long gone by then but maybe he can look at all these pictures and remember that we were once here, were a major part of his life and loved him greatly. So do his mom and dad.

When I was in Wainwright in October, Helen Peetook was busy knitting caps. I have made mention of the fact that after I followed Iceberg 14 in 1995, the crew of Benjamin Ahmaogak Sr. and his wife, Florence, Iñupiaq name Kanaaq, Ben and Kanaaq adopted me.

After Kanaaq died, Helen told me, "I am your mom now." I loved the caps she was knitting and wanted to buy a couple to bring home as gifts. "No," she said. "You are family and your family is family." So she gave me three caps to bring home - one for Margie, one for Melanie, one for Lisa.

Here is Melanie, in hers. Boy, doesn't she look pretty! Thank you, Helen!

Christmas Day is now past. It was a warm day, both in temperature (mid 20's) and spirit and I just don't remember that any feast ever more tasty or more satisying than this one.

Now it is over. We do have a birthday to celebrate later today.

Comments

[twain12]

Happy Birthday Kalib....great picture and i love the Cap, Melanie does look pretty

[angel]

Happy Birthday Kalib! xo Looks like a warm, loving, wonderful Christmas celebration. Happy Holidays to you and yours.