Sunday, December 27, 2009

Christmas Eve Dinner

On Christmas Eve it snowed. It snowed like it would never stop. I tell you this so you have the setting in your mind while I tell you my story. We were a bit late for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner with Lori due to the finicky caramel (see croquenbouche post). I left the house in a blinding snowstorm with three kids, a croqunbuche balanced precariously on Max's lap, a plate of almond cookies and my purse but no coat and no mittens.

Dinner was delicious as always. Thomas made the most amazing angel hair pasta with scallops and shrimp. Divine. There were a dozen other items on the menu, but I only wanted the pasta. It was that good. The kids all loved the Shirley temples, Calvin loved the antipasti meats and Sophie loved the shrimp cocktail. Max ate two plates of the pasta without the shrimps and scallops. Fool.


After dinner we chatted while eating our way through mile high chocolate cake and cream puffs. Some kids watched The Polar Express, while others played on the computer.


It was after 8:30 before I started to round up the kids to leave. It is at this point that I realize I have locked the keys in the car.

On Christmas Eve.

In a snowstorm.



Nice.

Lori had an extra house key of mine with the remote car opener attached. Unfortunately, it had a dead battery. Thomas started taking apart every small item in the house that might have a nickel sized battery. I called Susan and Ken to see if they might have a battery. Lori finally called AAA and asked them to come - on Christmas Eve!

It is now 9pm and Susan drives me home to see if I have a spare key in the house somewhere. We have gotten another 4 inches of snow since dinner began so it takes us a while to get there and back. When we return (with a key!), AAA is in the driveway and it takes the guy 2 seconds to break into my car. Anyone know where I can buy one of those window lock opener gadgets? I think it would be handy to carry around in my purse - or is that illegal?

I was proud that I did not burst into tears. I decided to file it away in the "I will laugh at this someday" file. The kids and I had a very late reading of the Christmas story in our matching pajamas, they each opened one little gift and then I stayed up until 3:00am cleaning up and getting everything ready for the morning.

Three guesses what gift Calvin opened on Christmas Eve. I need a nap. Still.

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