Two friends chronicle and compare their families' adventures when one moves There (to Bologna, Italy) and one stays Here (Cold Spring, NY, USA).
Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Cold Spring/NH/U.S.A.
Without Gina & Stef & the kids around, the holidays were a little bit lonely this year (except for Thanksgiving…which we’ll tell you about next week) but, nonetheless, we managed to find many moments of joy and peace.
This is my Family of Origin. We’re spread around the world now (Colorado, New York, New Hampshire, GREECE) but we manage to gather together in the same place every 18 months or so. This year we met at my brother’s home in New Hampshire for some baking and sledding and, um, wine.We made the Slovak pastries that my Grandma Sadie (my father’s mother) taught us how to bake. They are ridiculously delicious–mostly due to the four pounds of butter that goes into the batter.
Noah playing Axel F at my parents’ house in Johnstown. I’m not sure what it had to do with Christmas–other than he could wear his new hat & scarf & fingerless gloves. (You understand about the faux hawk now, right?)So, I’m divorced and share custody of Noah with his father which means that some holidays are celebrated on alternative dates than the one the calendar allocates. This year Noah spent December 25th with his dad, so Ray and I went to church in the marsh before heading to dinner in Garrison.We got to share Christmas dinner with Michele & Dan and Dan’s amazing dads AND our favorite four-year-old, Walker. (He’s one of Luca’s favorite, too.)For the past four years we’ve spent the night of December 31st with Gina & her family…and all these people. We very much missed the Bouvarez clan this year, but still enjoyed a taco bar, a tequila bar, a sundae bar and a Happy New Year.Time to exhale….Michele, Noah and Walker release a lantern into the New Year’s Eve sky. A lantern filled with prayers for good health, happiness, friendship and…many cupcakes, of course!
