Christmas and New Year's

I am back at work after a long vacation over the holidays. The weekend just before Christmas I went to two different malls. The traffic was terrible but I was lucky and got what I came for and then managed to sneak out again thanks to a city bus which blocked the road very conveniently (for me, that is).

Christmas Eve I went by train to Göteborg. This time the celebration was at my sister's sister-in-law's place. Very nice evening with lots of good food, the traditional TV classics and presents. I got hand lotion, a Christmas tree ornament, a book, chocolate truffles and a DNA-test (which will arrive by mail later). I'm rather curious of the last thing.

Christmas Day we had a very unusual lunch at my sister's place - turkey! This is more an English/American tradition but we liked it and I hope there will be a repeat. It tasted very good. I hadn't visited my sister for a while, they had remodelled quite a lot. Most of the upstairs was renovated with new floor boards, wallpaper and ceiling. The furniture was also rearranged. It looked very stylish.

The shopping at the after-Christmas sales was limited. My mother found kitchen curtains for me and I bought a top and some underwear. A few days later I went with my mother and her boyfriend to the summerhouse. It was pretty cold inside.

The New Year's celebration was quiet, we invited one of mother's friends for the meal. We had a three course meal; salmon sandwich, chicken & bacon casserole and frozen elderflower cheesecake. I made the dessert, which was a great success. There was not many fireworks, so it was a rather calm celebration of the new year and decade.

We have no snow in sight here and the darkness is surrounding us all. I am not complaining, as others have a much more horrible situation. The fires in Australia worry me a lot. I have heard from some relatives there, they say the smoke haze is problematic. Right now, I don't think any of our relatives have had to evacuate. The fires are heading east towards their residences, so it might just be a matter of time.