Somehow, it’s December and I’m beyond late with these updates, but time ran away from me. Still in the spirit of better late than never I am writing this rambly life update.
After a certain life stage, one reconciles themselves and actually takes comfort in one’s life, as imperfect and flawed as it may be. I am in that stage of life/mindset, but then, of course, things happened, and now I am seriously looking to rejig not just my life but that of my entire family. Excitement and anxiety are bubbling up inside me. My previous update touched a little more on all that’s happening in my life.
Some of the critical and worrying formalities are over – but there are still some huge hurdles to cross. We need to nail down education and housing, cold weather clothes, and wrap up our lives here. It’s quite a task.
However, it’s now the start of the winter break, and I took this opportunity to slow down, relax, and reflect on the year that’s about to end in 2024.
The moment my office work wrapped up, I booked a ticket to Chennai to hang with my mom, aunt, and brother. The plan was to do nothing but drink copious amounts of wine, and indulge in Christmas goodies. I came a little earlier than the rest of my family in order to have some quiet time with mom. My dad passed away during the Christmas hols last year, and I wanted to be around before the chaos of the kids hits and support my mom when she’s feeling low and grieving.
The plan was to distract her when she needed it, comfort her when she needed it, and just be around to make her feel less alone.
K and I started Christmas early, though, binging on a whole tin of Sapa Stollen that I had ordered to take home to Mom (you can still order it here). It’s the most delicious start to the holiday season. We initially planned to just have a taste; it’s a big loaf, and a small bite or two couldn’t hurt, right? Well, we ended up just binging the whole thing, and there weren’t any leftovers to bring to my mom, so I hurriedly also ordered a tin of gingerbread cookies (again from Sapa). And this one, we were pretty disciplined about.
I was tempted to get their mulled wine as well but restrained myself as we had bottles of port wine and gin from our trip to Goa. I eventually ended up drinking too much port wine and having a terribly sore throat, and am now looking at entering the new year sober and dry 🫠.
I love reading big, chunky books over the Christmas break – I usually dig into a classic (Tess of the D’Urbervilles is an old Christmas favorite, as is Middlemarch). But this year, I went modern and picked Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee – which is a great choice so far. It’s like an Asian Middlemarch set in 90s New York, and it’s simply great!
Of course, seasonal Christmas movies are also on the radar. I was planning The Grinch, but it looks like Piglet wants to continue our Star Wars adventures. The next movie on our list is Return of the Jedi, after which I hope (if Piglet lets go control of the remote) to introduce Snubnose to the charms of Hugh Grant and London in Notting Hill.
She only knows him as the Oompa Loompa from the Wonka movie and refused to believe me when I said he used to be a heartthrob and is still quite good-looking for his age. I need to correct her impression of him 😂.
And that’s what our year-end is looking like – just a slow unwinding of 2024 with a focus on family and enjoying the moment.\
How’s your 2024 year-end looking like? Wishing you happy holidays and a great 2025!
