carnivalnights

01. Christmas Eve. It was me, Sean, my father, and my father's girlfriend. It was a quiet evening but fairly enjoyable. I slaved over my Chicken Parmesan dish because Sean and I do not eat red meat, and they were having Filet Mignon. Ew. I enjoy cooking and especially baking, but sometimes I wonder how I am going to have the time when I am working full time on top of the things I am currently doing, such as groceries, cleaning, laundry, etc. Still, it was worth it in the end because it was truly delicious and I was very proud of myself. My father and his girlfriend opened their gifts from each other, and the evening ended with Sean and I watching some TV, drinking tea and chatting.

02. Baking. I decided to go easier on the amount of cookies I made this year since my entire vacation last year was spent in the kitchen. I went very overboard and had cookies left over for months since I do not eat any myself. So, this year I decided on eight different cookies, and while it sounds like a lot, most of the recipes were simple and not overly time-consuming.

Clockwise from left to right: Gingerbread Men/Trees, Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Shortbread Cut-Out Cookies,Thumbprint Cookies with strawberry jam, Coconut Macaroons, Holiday Biscotti (with deshelled pistachios and dried cranberries) dipped in chocolate, and in the middle, Pecan Melt-Away Crescents.

Everyone seemed to enjoy everything, I think. I actually got some feedback this year, and that is probably because I included a little note with the cookie bags saying I want to know what I should and should not make again. It seems senseless spending time and effort on homemade gifts when no one is willing to tell you what they think, you know? So that was nice, to hear people's opinions on what they liked best. I tried out some new things and new recipes, and next year I hope to do the same. I was a little nervous, too, because I gave a bunch to Sean to bring to his mother and step-dad. He said they enjoyed them though.

03. Christmas Day. Woke up, made the annual Eggs Benedict, opened stockings. As usual, it was a rather boring morning with just my father and I. After all that has happened this year, I am just no longer comfortable with him at all. It took a lot of self-control to act polite and grateful. I could not even bring myself to get him a "father" card this year; instead, I got him a humourous one. Every father card I picked up made me cringe, and I could not buy one this year that had anything remotely sentimental in it. Soon after, we picked Sean up and went to my aunt's for dinner. I hate to sound negative, but the whole evening was just utterly boring. The food is always good, but the magic of Christmas is definitely gone. I guess that is what happens as you get older. Or maybe it just happens because everyone in my family hates each other, who knows. I love the build up but hate the actual day, which is backwards, I know. Everyone was either drunk or tired. We tried playing Cranium but my aunt was so drunk and out of it that she ended up walking away in the middle of the game and just not coming back, so that was a bust. My grandma fell asleep around 8, Doug and my other aunt were talking Sean's ear off about real estate and home renovations, my father was in the garage smoking pot with one of my uncles, the kids were playing their Xbox, and I was just sitting there twiddling my thumbs. It was really great having Sean there, but I was pretty embarrassed with how boring the evening was. I am glad we came back here for some talking and laughing later because that was more enjoyable than being at the family dinner. However, I suppose I should be grateful there was no real drama, other than my aunt screaming at her kids the entire time. That could be due to the fact that my uncle, the alcoholic one, did not show up at all. If he had, I am sure I would be rambling about him making a scene or throwing plates around the room.

04. Gifts. From Sean I got 2 MAC Glitter Liners, a Key Lime cream soap, an "I'm Not a Lesbian But I Hate Men" pin, a pretty beaded bracelet and amethyst stones, and An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder DVD. Sean's mother was very generous and sent me a Chapters gift card, which helped me buy the Before Sunrise and Before Sunset DVDs. From my father I got a VHS-to-DVD recorder so I can get rid of at least a few hundreds tapes (it also plays both VHS and DVD, of course, and this is fabulous because I did not have a DVD player in my room all of these years). From other family members I got some stainless steel measuring cups, a MAC brush set and gift card, a cat calendar and a few books (mostly baking-related). Oo, and The Sims 2 Pets add-on (I had all of the others), which I have been playing non-stop (the whole game should be illegal; it is too addictive). From the fabulous ghostmeat I got an array of flavoured lip balms, an Elvis deck of cards, a skull make-up bag, kitty socks, Nipple Nibblers and some pins. Girl, I love you; you know me so well. <3 I am pretty happy with the things I received this year. Next year, I am guessing my wishlist will consist of only practical things for my new apartment, such as dishes, flatware, and all of that other exciting stuff. And perhaps a dog. Ahem. Sean seemed happy with the gifts I got him, so that was good. I have such fabulous taste when it comes to men's clothing. There is something odd about that. I got him some jeans, a dress shirt, two muscle tees which I am forcing him to wear because I have an obsession with them, a Nirvana smiley shirt to replace his old one that is falling apart, a rare Belle and Sebastian single with his favourite song, The Eraser by Thom Yorke CD, and Sam's Town by The Killers CD. He also got two really nice dress shirts from my aunt and grandmother, which was very nice of them, and a $50 gift certificate to Moore's from my father which is crazy because since when is he that generous? At any rate, the gift area of this year's Christmas was good.

05. I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday and received some of their wishlist toppers. Happy New Year to everyone, and let us hope this one brings more joy and peace than the last. I will be spending New Year's alone this year, which is fine because I hate the whole tradition and countdown anyway. Sean is in Ottawa and my father will be away with his girlfriend. Whatever. I guess I can just sleep right through it, chat online with other cool people who are 'celebrating' alone, or continue playing The Sims 2. I suppose it will be a little depressing but I can deal. I do not have anyone else I can ask to do something with.

06. The last few days of my vacation will be spent cleaning, doing laundry, watching Take Home Chef, reading Edward II by Christopher Marlowe, and doing research for my homosexuality in Elizabethan England presentation. Fun stuff.