Wake up boy Christmas is done

Where did it go its a blur.
Balancing two mothers and a three families 1 celebration and and an occaisional look in at a website the festives are done.
Christmas Eve
Mother in law (Bea) is established in Ward 2x at the Royal. Main problem seems to be a whopping infection in left leg. She is happier than in Garston - we think for 2 reasons - a) its a proper hospital and b)they are keeping her off her feet and preventing the R word. Jean thinks that once the infrction is treated and the poor sods there have to rehab her we will back to square 1.
Christmas eve is running round tidying and prepping food. Its established that we are down to 11 for lunch. I decide microwave needs replacing and buy a shiny new number from tesco. In the process I escape with a DVD in the security case which was hiding down under the box. The alarm does not sound on the the way out or on the way back in. I explain to the security guard that I want to pay both he and the queue at the service desk look at me quizically. It is a 3in1 war fest for Alan - Tora Tora Tora, The longest day and Patton. The woman clearly thinks I am bonkers but honest. Off home and peeling commences. I skip carols from Kings - bit same old same old. Wrapping pressies a job I hate. Think I got enough for Jean. We certainly have too much for Ally.Cook pork and turkey.
Bed and drag Ally out at 7.30 much to her protest.
Pressies galore Allys main being a dvd telly combi and a surprise pink thing she is moved by the gift. My main pressie is the delicious canon eos 350 d. It is a beaut and I am taken back to my youthful play with the

my first slr

which I and many others consider a timeless classic. This does everything that didnt and more. TTL flash monitoring is a dream. I play merrily when I get the chance. Which on Christmas day isnt often. Jean gets a posh watch (she picked).
Alan arrives on time, Colin next he and the girls do pressies in the dining room. Then Ruth and Paul and full pressies are exchanged. Lunch - the turkey in my view is pants. I may well join my brother in law in the turkey is an abomination club. I cock the peas up through a lack of familiarity with the microwave I set fire to my ovenglove three times - deep joy. And suffer a full thiickness burn to right hand - which by my reaction you would think needed treatment at a supra regional plastics unit. First casualty of chrimbo is my bowels. My routine is thrown out of kilter and I dont pooh at the usual point in my morning procedings (no time). Oh deep joy gut ache all day and an abortive attempt for a discrete post prandial dump (yeah like thats likely). Didnt eat much as a result - no harm there then.
Lunch goes down well, though less than a bottle of wine is consumed as most folk are driving. The shock joke announcement is that colin and alan are off to South Africa in the new year and they are getting hitched. We often rib colin about his moustachioed single lifestyle. His brother Alan is is the same. Colin plays to the audience and camps it big time to the hilarity of the throng - what makes it even funnier is Alans clear discomfort with talk of sexuality at the lunch table double entendres everywhere. Ohhow we larfed. I forget to serve the ham but there is too much food anyway. If a troop of gurkhas had turned up we could have fed them too. We were 10 for lunch eleanor a late drop out due to diarrhoea
After lunch its off to the hospital to see Bea then to Culcheth to see siter Mary and mum John ann and george. Much fun to be had playing cards.