Transitions-Oakville, Burlington and Mississauga Real Estate Blog

All the Smiths Down in Smithville, the Tall and the Small....

Yesterday we spent a wonderful afternoon and evening at my brother Curt and sister-in-law Wendy's home in Ajax, Ontario. Many of my family members were there and we had a grand time telling tales about the old days and roasting the odd family member over things they had done in the past.

My nephews and neice enjoyed the day playing ping-pong, computer games, drawing (home-made cards from Trevor and Tyler that were just beautiful!!) and catching up with their cousins.

My Dad, always one for making sure everything is recorded on film, had many different groups of people stand together for family photos and we all put on our best faces.

Even Lucky, the bulldog, posed for the camera (she was totally pooped out here after a long day of partying and far too many treats. I think she wanted to head for her comfy bed but was too afraid of missing out on something so stuck with us all til the end).

My Sister-in-law Wendy once again bought the tallest tree on the lot.

This year's  towered 13 feet high into the cathedral ceiling of their family room and was absolutely stunning.

Her Christmas village lay in wait on the mantel for the tiny elfin people that come out at night, after all the big people are gone to bed.

We had a giant 'who' feast complete with roast beast, meat balls, salmon, shrimp, potato salad, green salad, lasagna, cheese, crackers, rice and assorted cakes. The little ones all loved the chocolate cake the most.




After everyone was stuffed above the ear lobes and all of the presents had been opened, my two musical brothers, Curt and Clay, broke out into song.

Curt played the guitar and harmonica and we all sang along. A few of our favourites ( we sing at every family get-together) that we all joined in on were:

Dear Abby (an old John Prine tune)

Christmas in Prison (another John Prine favourite)

Long Black Veil (one of my favourites)

He Stopped Loving Her Today (not a dry eye in the house whenever we sing this old George Jones tear-jerker)

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Gordon Lightfoot is a favourite amongst all of my family)

Farewell to Nova Scotia (we love those old Irish kinds of songs...I guess they play to our Irish roots)

The Unicorn Song  (for the little ones, who all love to sing along and do the body motions that go with the song)

and many more...

As the evening wore on, sleepy eyes and yawns started to appear on the odd person's face now and then, so we decided it was time to don our warm coats, pack up the presents and kids, give hugs all around and load into our vehicles for the hour long trek home.

It was a wonderful day and will live in my memory for many years to come. If only every day was like the special days we spend with family and friends during the holiday season.

©2009JoSmith