All the plotting and planning and late night wrappings paid off. My girls were so excited when i stuck my head in their room and called them out of bed... wearing a silly Christmas sweater and reindeer antlers:)
My co-leader Mike and I were up early cooking - eggs, pancakes, and muffins. It was a lovely little breakfast. Then we "moved to the leather" (retired to the couches) to open presents.
I had been wrapping little gifts and stuffing their three stockings since before we left Maui. It was such great fun to see my team all so delighted. Then there was tears when i "found some more gifts stuck in the chimney" and they turned out to be gifts their families had sent to me in Maui, which we "smuggled" over here in secret. So rewarding to see them blessed and feeling so loved. My dear and sneaky family even did the same for me- sending a precious little stocking of joy over with my co-leader. It was such a merry little Christmas.
The afternoon was full of skype calls, the whirring of Mike (all aglow) playing with the radio controlled helicopter i gave him, the girls happily rereading their cards from home, and then... me and Mike hitting the kitchen again.
We took on yesterday's unfortunate chicken and soon had him rinsed out, poised in a small glass baking pan ( all of this has to be cooked in a counter top toaster oven) and amply stuffed and surrounded with onions, carrots, butter and garlic. The tiny turkey stand-in went in the oven shortly after noon. By sometime after two (with only a couple bastings in between) the finished product emerged- a far cry from the fowl first seen at the market. The apartment was flooded with homey and delicious smells. In in a tiny kitchen and tiny oven, we pulled off a fantastic Christmas meal at about three o'clock in the afternoon. It was great fun to prepare and everything tasted amazing. We were all so stoked in our happy little Christmas haven all day.
In the evening, friends from the other Maui team came over for spiced cider and a movie...it was a great and cozy and family-like close to our Christmas festivities. Such a blessing from the Lord to all of us. Such a merry little Christmas.
Breakfast- a great start to a merry little Christmas!
Opening stockings:) i am such a great reindeer.
Me and Mike take on the pigeon-esque turkey stand-in ...don't you love our sweaters??!
We cracked ourselves up all day.
Not posed. They really were that excited for the roasted chicken as Mike carved it up at dinner!
The finished product. (Food picture- sorry, Trina.)
You'd maybe have to live on rice and dumplings in Asia for several weeks to appreciate how joyous and welcome this homey feast appeared to us, and how lovely it tasted:)
Yay for our Merry little Christmas!
