Thank God That’s Over

And by “that” I mean Christmas.  Yes, I am a Scrooge, a Grinch, a hater of Christmas.

Oh, there were some good things.  I liked my gifts.  I got some new shoes, a book by Milan Kundera and the 1st book of the Harry Potter series which recompleted my collection.  I had all 7 but made the mistake of loaning The Philosopher’s Stone out to a student, probably hoping to convert her.  I don’t remember who it was, but I’ll bet anything it was a her.  I tend to be far more generous with women than with men.  Anyway, that is almost always a mistake.  People who aren’t Harry Potter fans yet are probably not destined to be Harry Potter fans unless, of course, they are still 9 years old.

The kids were thrilled with their presents although, unfortunately, more so with the Lego stuff than with the books.

The village of Kotelsko was  beautiful, magically beautiful, in the snow.

However, 3 days there was about 2 1/2 days longer than I find enjoyable.   I am not a big fan of Czech cuisine, and the traditional Czech

Yup. That's Me.

Christmas dinner, carp and potato salad, is about the most unfestive meal imaginable.  And, of course, everybody is speaking Czech.  I shouldn’t complain, I try to force my family to speak English the rest of the year (and they pretty much ignore me).  Also, at the cottage we are with my wife’s parents and grandmother, who speak no English whatsoever (which means they will never read this blog which, come to think of it, is probably just as well)

What I really missed, though, it hit me on about day 2, was the internet.  Not being able to check out my facebook friends on a regular basis (i.e. several times a day) and not writing a daily blog really made me feel disconnected from the world.

I guess it’s good to take vacation now and again.  But I’m glad it’s over.