Holiday highlights part 2

On my the 24th Spouse & I made our annual trek about an hour west to my cousin's house.  Inez (Nez) and I are less than a year apart in age and have always been close.  She and her husband Steve live in a 200+ year old stone house which is the perfect Christmas house.  They always decorate it so nicely for Christmas and its just so incredibly cozy to sit with them in their kitchen/keeping room with a fire going in the giant stone fireplace.  Nez made shrimp chowder and Steve grilled steaks for lunch, which were delicious.  I brought an experimental cake for dessert but unfortunately the experiment was a flop, which gave us all a laugh.  We talked and laughed and just really enjoyed spending time together.  Unfortunately I neglected to take any photos of this visit, which is probably evidence of how present and in-the-moment I was.  This annual visit is another highlight of the Christmas season for me.

When we returned to Spouse's sister's house abound 4:30, Spouse's brother Paul and 1 of his daughters Evelyn were already there.  We had a nice visit with them while Spouse's sister and her husband and adult kids were at church.  Once they returned home Spouse's other brother Louis and his wife Karen arrived and we had a casual Christmas eve meal.  12/24 is also Spouse's mother's birthday, and although she's no longer with us, we still thought of her on her birthday in a happy way.  She was a unique, delightful woman who inspired lots and lots of funny stories and remembrances. I only took a couple photos that night.  Here's one of our brother-in-law Eric with Marvin & Walter in their Christmas bow ties, courtesy of the lady who trims their nails:

After a long, active day Walter was tuckered out so he snuggled up on my shoulder for a nap.

Spouse's sister displayed all her nutcrackers on the mantel this year.