A continuation

Spaulding Family home

Right.

So a few hours ago I arrived back on English soil. It was a wonderful trip back home, and my mom was very appreciative that I came back to see the family over Christmas.  So what exactly did I do whilst at home?
First, I ordered some Taco Bell.  A gift from the gods that hooks every person from the Commonwealth I have ever met. Two pals from camp--Sam and Chris--used to order about $20 worth and save it for the next couple days.
I also had a bit of trouble getting back into the mindset that people drive on the right side of the road.

Next, I unpacked and introduced my family to some of the British things I had brought back.  For instance, I made them a proper cup of British tea with milk and sugar.  To top it off I had them try it with Digestives.
I also introduced them to sweets such as Crunchie, Smarties, Double Decker, and Tootie Fruities.
They absolutely loved learning all these new things I was showing and telling them.
Of course, being Minnesota, there was already a good 2 feet of snow on the ground, which is not out of the ordinary at all.

Soon enough, Christmas Eve rolled around, and it was time for family gifts.  Family tradition dictates that we all sit in the living room while the children take turns reading a page from The Christmas Story (you know, the one about the baby and the shepherds and such). After this is done, the gifts are divided, and we take turns opening a gift, starting with the youngest.  There is always a fire in the fireplace, and we have hors d'oeuvres, or "snicker-snackers" set up for us to munch on as we exchange gifts.

The family with their British gifts

Along with the presents I mentioned in my last post, I also included Christmas crackers.  And just as I anticipated, my family thought they were the cat's meow.  So of course once the gifts were opened, I had to get a picture of everyone with their British gifts and their Christmas cracker hats on.

The next day, we headed up to my aunt and uncle's house in Waconia, Minnesota. This is where my mother's side of the family gathers for the holidays.  This has a similar set-up to the Spaulding family Christmas, where this is hors d'oeuvres set out for people to eat, and the family gathers and chats before gifts are given.

The Hot Seat

There is one special difference.  We send all the children to the basement to look for Santa Claus, and once we think he has arrived, we call the kids back upstairs.  Then none other than Santa Claus himself comes through the door, much to the delight of the children. After some "ho-ho-ho-ing," the owner of the house and eldest son of my grandparents leads Santa to a seat.  My grandma then plays Silent Night on the piano while my grandfather reads the Christmas story straight out of the bible.  As is the tradition.  Once this is finished, Santa gets to call people up to "the hot seat" ie his lap. He then asks them if they were good or not during the year, and sometimes people shout out things for Santa to ask about.
For instance, when I got called up, my uncle--Brad--told Santa that he had heard me telling my grandfather that I had not tasted the "sweet fruit of the vine," until I had come over to England.  When Santa raised his eyebrows and said, "Michael, Michael, Michael. What do you have to say about this?"
I had only one answer.
"Santa, you know what, Bradley is correct.  He got me. The truth is, I've been drinking the sweet fruit of the vine every Sunday at mass."
Boy did that one get me off the hook.

The younger grand-kids in the cinema room

Once Santa has quizzed enough people, he gives out one gift--from him--to everyone.  Then he gets up, walks out the door, and goes to wherever he had hidden his sleigh.
From then on, the children open their gifts first and then they usually go downstairs to play. Following this, the adults open their gifts and sociallize until late in the evening, when people slowly start trickling out.

The farm

Now, my family went to go and spend the night at my Uncle Mike and Aunt Cathy's.  They live just down the road, so it was a quick drive. You see, prior to my surprise landing in America, my folks had planned on going out to Montana to visit family and go skiing with the kids.  They were leaving Christmas morning and wouldn't be coming back until after the New Year. That complicated things for me, because my flight was for the 29th. So, we decided that I would stay with my aunt and uncle for a few days while they were in Montana. While it was sad to say goodbye to my family early than anticipated, I am still really glad I got to see them during this time of the year.  Furthermore, I really enjoy my aunt and uncle, and we ended up having a really nice couple of days together out on their farm.
Soon, my time in America was drawing to a close, and I had to pack up my goodies and get on a plane.  I had been wise before I came over, though, and took almost no personal luggage other than gifts. As a result, I was able to bring back things from America that people had asked for.  Examples include Mountain Dew, Lucky Charms, and Twinkies.

Family portrait taken the day I left for England in September

It really was an awesome time.