We were headed up to Santa Cruz on Christmas Eve when we learned that my sister’s flu was actually the pneumonia that has made several appearances over the last year and a half.  J had an undiagnosed lung condition (actually, it was diagnosed as “asthma” by a lazy/stupid GP) that wouldn’t leave during that same time.  It’s possible it was the same strain as my sister’s as his sickness appeared twice during visits to Santa Cruz, so we decided to turn around at the news and not risk either of us getting sick.  We were looking forward to another Swedish Smorgasbord!  And of course, spending time with everyone.  Instead, we got back to LA around the time J would have gotten off work on a normal day and spent the evening with friends and their family.  We ate delicious homemade lasagna, played Charades, drank expensive wine (speaking of, I’m about to give up on Charles Shaw), and had an impromptu dance party to mostly 80s rock. There was also a visit from Santa and a discussion about how disturbing it is when parents insistently lie to kids about Santa, especially after the kid has figured out he isn’t real.

Christmas Day was an amazing day in LA.  We took advantage of the gorgeous, clear weather and light traffic by doing a 15-mile bike ride through Griffith Park.  For dinner, we got a little dressed up (this means I wear heels) and went to The Smokehouse , a nearby restaurant we’ve visited several times.  I love the old school, classic vibe and the cheese bread is seriously amazing.  They also have a cute little presentation for their martinis.  It was very busy — I was surprised how many people go out for Christmas! It was great, though,  and we think we may start doing it every year.

It was a really fun weekend and felt like it did during college in the dorms when everyone would go home except my roommate and myself.

It felt like a vacation even though we were home .  Some more of our weekend:  thrift stores near Little Ethiopia, J’s first Souplantation visit, long run/bike ride at The Rose Bowl, coffee at Intelligentsia, a walk through our neighborhood to look at the Xmas lights, Seinfeld & Mad Men & Indian from Curry Land delivered.  (For some reason, I’ve always thought food delivery was the coolest thing.  I rarely do it, so it’s an indulgence. For several years, we got our produce delivered weekly by ParadiseO which was pretty cool…but not like an entire prepared meal!).

A few pics from the weekend and a few more to come:

My dad’s signature way of giving us Xmas gifts growing up was to individually wrap each item as pictured in brown paper bags, then put all the bags in a huge Xmas “garbage” bag.  Now he does a combo of brown paper bags and Xmas paper.  I have a ton of Xmas wrapping paper from past clearances, but my plan once it’s gone is to wrap with other things, like pages from an Ikea catalog.

Kit being stubborn for the camera:

One of my favorite ornaments — I love planes (um, looking at them…not riding in them ) and I can’t get enough of blue and green:

From our neighborhood walk: