Christmas in New York

Since being home, I haven't done much but chill at home with my parents and sister.  It has been amazing to hang out with everyone, but the slightly depressing thing has been how quickly each day seems to go past.  Rummikub has been a great addition to our family game repertoire (in addition to the ubiquitous mah-jong).

Here is a picture before Christmas when Michael joined us in Flushing for an early birthday celebration with my grandmother (who is turning 89 this year).

 

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a big feast of Chinese food.  Our dining room table was full, with Michael, my sister's boyfriend and his family all in tow.

After dinner, we put all of our Christmas presents under a Christmas cactus - couldn't bother with a real tree and I'd be hard pressed to tell you where any of our ornaments are - if we even had any!

I got Michael a new Ferragamo leather wallet, he got me a black Jimmy Choo leather clutch, and we got my dad an Apple watch, my mom a carry on luggage, my sister a bunch of Clinique facial products, a hat for my sister's boyfriend and chocolates all around generally.  My parents also gave Michael a beautiful and unique tie bar and cufflinks from their trip to Toledo, Spain, my sister gave him gourmet coffee beans, and my sister's boyfriend's family gave him homemade jerky from Arizona.  It was really fun present giving all around!

Unfortunately, the day before Christmas Eve, a leak sprung in our Brooklyn house, leading to a lot of heated emotions and stress.  It was pretty bad timing.  Michael and I spent Christmas day there, trying to figure out where the leaks were coming from and how to plug everything up.  Homeownership... what a pain.

To celebrate on actual Christmas night, we went to a nearby restaurant to eat dinner.

Negroni, buttery snails, lots of fresh bread and French butter... candlelit lighting...

a warm lentil salad

followed by a steak frites (for Michael) and a roast chicken (for me).  It was the perfect cozy atmosphere for such a cold wintry day spent running around plugging holes in an old house.

Merry Christmas!