Day for Dogs

There have been Christmases when I woke up feeling the world was all right. Everything and everyone in place. Those were Christmas mornings where The Boy and I would sit back after opening our presents and read the books we received while The Man made us breakfast.

We'd stay in our pj's reading, until the afternoon, when we got ready for dinner. Most years, we'd head to someone else's for dinner. One year, we even had dinner at home, just the three of us. I made everything the day before. On Christmas afternoon, I just put the turkey in the oven. And you know how once the turkey goes in the oven, there is not much else to do for the next six hours except baste. And the mad dash the hour before dinner to heat everything up and prepare the table. But the oohing and aahing from the three of us when the turkey landed on the table! That was as idyllic a day as I can remember.

I have not had a relaxing day of festivities like that for a long time. Today came close.

For Chinese new year. We had dinner plans in place with my family. So I woke up and lazed about, reading and sipping my new brew, a Japanese green tea with brown rice.

At 9:30 a.m., my mother phoned to invite us for dim sum at 11:00. It was a last minute gathering so we could include Bro Bro's family in sharing the first meal of the new year together as he already had other plans for dinner.

When I checked the weather before bed last night, I don't remember rain in the forecast. This morning, it rained dogs and cats. Maybe just dogs, since this is the first day of the year of the dog.

But we drove on with the dogs yapping at our tires and made it to the restaurant. The food was good, the kids delightful. I bought my mother and siblings Chinese lucky decorations. I handed out lai see and received lai see.

In the afternoon, The Boy had Warhammer plans with his friends. I puttered about at home. I talked to The Man. I read and drank some more tea.

I didn't know I had over eaten at lunch until dinner time, when I wasn't hungry at all. But that didn't stop me from driving through the rain again to dinner and eating my full share. And going to the ice cream parlour after.

The Boy summed up the day well: All I did today was eat, play, and eat. It's a day for dogs.

Pampered and well-fed dogs. Happy new year.