December 26, 2010 4:37 PM
A different kind of Curtis Christmas
So there were several things that set this Christmas apart. One was my being out of commission for a couple weeks before. There was the amazing tree Tripp found like the ones we used to have in California - a Douglas fir 12" tall which he cut down with the Downzers when Maddy and I had something else to do.
There was the fact that after three years of having no money for presents, this year I did. Tripp has a part time job which pays better than his day job and adds a little excitement to his life too - I'll write about that later, but for this Christmas, the extra money made all the difference in the world.
But this will be the year I remember being bundled in bathrobes and hats as we celebrated Christmas. Because even as Sophia was baking cookies Christmas Eve, keeping the kitchen fairly warn, I began to notice that most of our house had no heat. Thus began a constant stream of workers trying to diagnose the furnace for the main part of the house we've been renting for the last few years (and have I ever said how much I love this house?)
Meanwhile, our kids began coming home. Josh came over to spend the afternoon, Ben and Anna came for the weekend, and Zach arrived right after dinner. 
Though they figured out what was wrong with the furnace - the condenser was evidently crazily plumbed into the sewage line and the line had backed up and shut down the furnace - it will be quite a while before it is fixed. In the meantime, we coped with space heaters and fires in the three fireplaces and - thank God - the smaller furnace that heats our bedroom.
Everyone was so good-natured, but Lord-have-mercy! - with all the extra clothes and blankets - plus the blinds shut to keep out the cold - our Christmas pictures are very strange:
We went to an incense-filled Midnight Mass - which is actually at 10:30 at our church - came home and filled stockings and went to bed.
Prayed, opened presents, got our breakfast scramble out of the oven. Josh and Hattie were there for breakfast and to play Rock Band. Hattie has lost a lot of weight because of her chemotherapy and she is pretty tired, but she was wonderful and played a mean base for Rock Band. 
After they left to go to her family's gathering, we got Chinese food for dinner and settled down to watch It's a Wonderful Life. Does this look crazy or what? The important thing was that we were keeping warm and we were together:
The best was yet to come, though. This morning we got up and had no water - not a drop. No water to drink, to flush, to bathe. The property management people couldn't find a well/pump person to come out until tomorrow, so I went to the store and bought a bunch of those big plastic tanks of water. We spent the day waiting for the snow which barely materialized here in western Loudoun. Now we're watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy, still trying to keep warm.
It has been a very strange Christmas, indeed :)
Comments
But its one you will always remember! :)
Posted by: MamaHen | December 27, 2010 7:04 AM
I would love to see a pic of your tree. Of course, take a shower first!
I can't wait to hear about your man's part time job...
Happy New Year.
Posted by: Cathy | December 27, 2010 8:06 AM
What a Christmas you had! This looks like a chance for your kids to "take the lead" and show you what they are made of...and aren't you so proud!
The pictures show all smiles, and that's the best gift ever.
I hope you get the plumbing and heating straightened out and you can sail into the New Year worry free...at least for a few days. ;)
Posted by: CAROL | December 27, 2010 8:23 AM
The most important thing: you had each other!!! :) We had a fun Christmas too!! We had snow for the first time in 100 years!!! And the kids got a bunch of gifts!!! and we were together too!!! We skyped with my family in Brazil on Christmas eve and morning! God is good!!
Posted by: tereza crump AKA MyTreasuredCreations | December 27, 2010 8:40 AM
How cozy! Our furnace broke a few weeks ago, so I know what you mean. It was sooooo cold downstairs. The upstairs furnace was working so it was just the first floor that was like an icebox.
We liberally used the fireplace and learned just how much wood it takes to keep a fire going to heat a room. We have come a long way from that. We pretty much depleted our woodpile and spent a small fortune in wood that we bought in small lots. Should have gotten a big lot as soon as we realized we had a problem.
The big ouch was the repair cost. $2500. Got several estimates and explanations and there was no way around it. Sigh. And right before Christmas. With the two elderly grandmoms here, we have to have heat. So we are broke in December.
Have a Happy New Year.
Cath
Posted by: cath young | December 27, 2010 9:12 AM
We saw your husband and sons at the Snickers Gap Christmas Tree Farm, I recognized them from your pictures, and then saw your megamom license plate! They happened to park next to us, where my family and I were tailgating with cousins before and after cutting our own beautiful tree! God bless your Christmas season and new year.
Posted by: nelda | December 27, 2010 9:12 PM
This will probably end up being the Christmas your kids talk about the most and become the favorite. Love the pic of them bundled up on the couch.
Posted by: Maggie Dee | December 29, 2010 1:46 PM
