Dec. 24th, 2005 12:08 pm
Christmas Diary, Day Three: Visiting
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muckefuckYesterday was Mom's day. We bought the mussels for the paella, hit the mall (mercifully, only one store which wasn't very crowded and she'd gotten her agonising done in advance so it was less than an hour all told), and then picked up Grandma to take her out to lunch. She was dozing in her chair listening to instrumental versions of traditional carols when we came in and, as usual, needed to be reminded a bit who I was, where I was living, and the like. She took my hand and wouldn't let go until Mom brought her some shoes to try on. Schubert's "Ave Maria" was playing, a song she used to sing a lot in choir, and she was humming along. Before that, they played the "Marcho di Rei", which I sung along to in Provencal. Later, the selection was "Il est né le divin enfant", which I wasn't familiar with but has a lovely melody. To my surprise, Mom knew some of the words to the chorus (well, basically "Il est né le divin enfant") from her days in the school choir.
After lunch, we took a little tour of the neighbourhood so Mom could show me her older brother's house and then the house of Grandma's only surviving sister. As luck would have it, she was unloading groceries from the car, so I jumped out to help her and she invited us in for a visit. Mom had to take Grandma home first, but she and I ended up staying for at least an hour. Mom's youngest cousin (of twenty-eight in that generation), only two years my senior, was visiting from China with his Chinese bride and I had a fantastic time talking with them and looking at the photos from their wedding in Thailand. They offered![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
monshu and us guanxi for our mooted trip to China.
Back at Mom's, I tidied up the kitchen, sorted mail, and wrapped her gifts for the family gift exchange that night. I reached something of a low ebb when we arrived at my brother's apartment over an hour late to pick him up and he kept us waiting. Fortunately, it was nothing a little food and a little alcohol couldn't wipe out once we reached the party.
After lunch, we took a little tour of the neighbourhood so Mom could show me her older brother's house and then the house of Grandma's only surviving sister. As luck would have it, she was unloading groceries from the car, so I jumped out to help her and she invited us in for a visit. Mom had to take Grandma home first, but she and I ended up staying for at least an hour. Mom's youngest cousin (of twenty-eight in that generation), only two years my senior, was visiting from China with his Chinese bride and I had a fantastic time talking with them and looking at the photos from their wedding in Thailand. They offered
monshu and us guanxi for our mooted trip to China.Back at Mom's, I tidied up the kitchen, sorted mail, and wrapped her gifts for the family gift exchange that night. I reached something of a low ebb when we arrived at my brother's apartment over an hour late to pick him up and he kept us waiting. Fortunately, it was nothing a little food and a little alcohol couldn't wipe out once we reached the party.