On our way back to Chicagoland, we started talking about the highlights of our trip.
I initially asked the kids and Sim to pick their favorite part of the trip. Turns out that was just too tough. Between Christmas morning at The Farm and Christmas evening in Columbus, there were too many happy moments to settle on just one thing. We all agreed that spending time with family was the best part, hands down.
But there were some definite highlights – food, visit and experience wise. So we made a list and whittled it down to our Christmas Top 10.
1. Christmas Eve mass – because mom and my sisters, who sang at the 7 p.m. service at Holy Family, are just plain amazing. Man can they sing. We all enjoyed the service, which was followed by a drive through the Gas City Park’s annual Christmas lights display.
2. Christmas lamb – We actually ate this on Christmas Eve before mass. But this was our big family meal at The Farm. I’d never cooked a lamb. And I’m not sure I can say I know what I’m doing yet. Our 4-pound cut was marinated in garlic and herbs and ready for baking. It was melt-in-your-mouth perfectly cooked. I’m amazed there were any leftovers.
3. Bald eagle sighting – Sim and Future Farmboy got a glimpse of an adult bald eagle on their post-sledding walk to the river. It’s the first sighting of the once-endangered national bird at The Farm since, I don’t know, forever. Sim thinks it may have been one of a pair because he could tell there was another large bird startled out of the same tree.
4. Visit to the CB, aka The Columbus Bar – While the kids were enjoying the company of their cousins, Sim and I enjoyed a night in downtown Columbus. We were staying at the Hotel Indigo, which is just a short walk from the CB, a bar that got its name from Sim’s great Uncle Sap in 1939.
5. Eggnog muffins – I brought the recipe and bought the eggnog, but my sister Maddy whipped them up to pure mouthwatering perfection. These Christmas morning treats tided us over until our aunt brought us chicken and noodles for lunch. I’m kind of getting into the part of Christmas where I don’t do all the cooking.
6. Sledding/snowboarding – Future Farmboy has our family’s record for distance this year. He made it all the way to the field on a saucer sled. But we all had fun trying to stay on two feed on the snowboard. It was a child’s snowboard, so I’d like to think that a better quality board would be easier to manage. That’s what I tell myself as I nurse the bruises on my shoulder and hip.
7. Sammy sleigh – My family’s great pyranees – Sammy – now has a custom harness that my dad managed to hook up to a flexible flyer sled so the kids could take rides across the yard. Sammy seemed to enjoy towing the kids around, after he had a chance to visit with them first.
8. Pool party – Topping the kids’ favorites list was our makeshift pool party at the Hotel Indigo. All 7 cousins (plus me and Sim) popped into a small, but bright and fun pool for some splashing around. I admit I was mostly just grateful there was a hot tub to soak my sled-sore muscles. 
9. Snow giant – Reading the local paper (The Republic) around the kitchen table, my brother-in-law pointed out a snippet about a giant snowman built by some college kids home from college. We made sure we stopped to see him for ourselves on our way out of town Monday.
10. Christmas morning cuddle – to my delight, the kids didn’t jump out of bed and plead with me to open presents right away. Instead, they just cuddled up for a Christmas morning chat. I don’t even remember what we talked about. But I’ll treasure the few minutes of peace before the wrapping paper started flying off all their gifts.
Virtual Farmgirl 