Christmas Break - Part One

The first half of the kids' 2-week Xmas break we spent on Long Island.  Running between visits with family and friends, we didn't have much down time, but we are used to that during our visits to LI.  We celebrated Christmas at least three times:  first at Dan & Paulette's with the triplets and Grandpa Dada, then my Uncle Peter and Aunt Mary's with the Risings and finally with the whole Kulis clan at Grandma Chris's house.  The last one was supposed to be at Uncle Charlie's, but thanks to a grinchy stomach bug, it was relocated to Patchogue at the last moment.  Chris hosted 25 family members smoothly though, and everyone pitched bringing food and extra tables and chairs.  Christmas carols were sung around the piano, and I'm sure Great Grandma Guppy was smiling down on our family chorus.

We made it into the city one day, to meet Lisa and her boys for Korean BBQ and experience a bit of the NYC Christmas scene.  The ice skating was packed at Bryant Park, so we took all the kids on the subway (Haley's first time on that and the LIRR) to Central Park to run off some steam. The southern end of the park, with its massive, smooth boulders and expansive playgrounds, was a big hit with all the kids. Aiden and Alex scaled huge rocks and raced around the lawns, while Christian, Edward and Haley poked in and out of playground tunnels, played on the swings, and watched the horse drawn carriages pass by.  Unfortunately we got the news that Chris's gentle and elderly kitty Twilly had passed away while we were in the city, so we headed back to see what we could do to raise her spirits.

We also made trips to Morton wildlife refuge to hand-feed songbirds, to Robert Moses and the Fire Island lighthouse, and to Port Jefferson to skate on the ice rink overlooking Long Island Sound.  We drove through the holiday light show at Jones Beach, and Andy and Aiden got to go to an Islanders game with Dan and Ian.  So, as usual, we packed a lot into a week...visits with family, fun outings, and too many Starbucks peppermint coffees to count.  Not a snowflake in sight, but plenty of festivity to make up for it!