I am a bit behind with my postings, but good times mean a few things have to suffer.
Day 3: Matt's Family Christmas Celebration
Matt and his sister will be in Thailand for Christmas this year, therefore his aunt and uncle planned an early Christmas dinner for his family. They were kind enough to invite me along, which was very exciting for me.
Matt and I took are time getting ready this morning, with only 1 goal in mind: get to the train station for the 12:30 train. Matt surprised me with warm croissants for breakfast...wonderful. He certainly knows how to brighten my day. I sipped warm tea and ate my croissants to begin my day, lovely. We did make the train and once at the station we went to the store and purchased some liquor. I was insistent on bringing something to Matt's Aunt for having me to dinner. I grabbed a bottle of Cabernet Savingon and Matt grabbed some Kronberg beer and we were on our way. We grabbed the bus and got on another train to Catford Bridge. Once off the train we walked about 10 minutes to Matt's Aunt and Uncle's house. It was a very nice walk and the neighborhood was full of very old beautiful houses. We walked up to #94 and Matt knocked on the door. Matt's Aunt, Jill greeted us with a warm smile. We walked into their entry way and the house seemed so cozy, it was very nice. The house seemed like a very traditional English house in my mind. The main floor included the entry way, the formal room, a large staircase leading upstairs, a cozy dinning room, kitchen and a very nice family room leading out to the garden. The garden was beautifully green with lots of plants, I was very impressed and noticed I kept starring out the window at the garden. The upstairs had three bedrooms, which I didn't actually see but Matt informed me. They had a restroom on the 2nd floor, with the toilet in one separate room and the sink and tub/shower in another. Matt told me this home was considered an "upper-middle class" home, which made sense because it seemed quite large compared to other places I have seen in London. The dinning room was equipped with an old stove, I'm not even sure the proper name for it. I have never seen/used one, but I found it quite comforting. The living room was warmed by a wonderful coal fire and we sat around with drinks and chatted for a bit.
I met Matt's cousin Sarah and her boyfriend Andy, Matt's sister Lisa and her boyfriend Dan, and Matt's aunt Jill and uncle Clive. They were all lovely people. Andy actually used to work for Gallup and lived in Lincoln, NE for 6 months quite a few years ago. What a small world!!! I travel all the way to London and meet an English man that has lived in Lincoln, NE of all places. Matt had never met him before so it was a very big coincidence that we all worked in the same industry. Very odd, and yet it was a great feeling to have a sense of familiarity with another person.
We sat down to "Christmas dinner" around 3 or 4. I forgot to bring a watch with me on this trip, since I don't generally have one anyone, and therefore I have NO sense of time over here. Its actually nice to have no clue what time it is, and not really care anyway. The table was a bit smaller and all "non-Jordan's" (guest) were required to sit in spots that did not have a table leg. Therefore, I was placed at the end of the table. Dinner was delicious, and I would consider it a traditional English meal. We started with a salad -- actually scratch that, we started with wine and beer and then moved onto salad. It was a tomato, avocado, mozzarella, basil and oil salad...delicious! This happens to be one of my favorites! The main meal consisted of, beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli, mashed carrots, leeks, cabbage, cheesed cauliflower, parsnips, roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and I think that might be it. It was a lovely meal and it lasted quite a while. I liked everything on my plate, except the parsnips. They are very similar to yams, and a bit too sweet for my taste. The Yorkshire pudding was really good! His family was so impressed that it was my very first. Dessert was fruit with a chocolate cake, it was very good. We then moved into the living room for more chatting and of course more wine. It was very fun. I really enjoyed spending time with Matt's family and experiencing their culture. I felt very much at home and we ended up staying much later than planned.
They served a second dessert, Christmas pudding with custard and cream and mulled wine a bit later. I did not like the christmas pudding at all, in fact I had a hard time politely choking down a few bites. I did enjoy the mulled wine however. We all watched "The X Factor" as everyone there was very excited about the show. For those of you who are like me and have NO clue what the show is, it is very similar to American Idol and was started by Simon Cowell. It was very entertaining and we sat talking for a long time after. Lisa, Dan, Matt and I hitched a ride to the train station from his uncle Clive and we headed back to central London, this was around 11 or so (i think). Once in central London, Matt and I went to a fun bar for a few drinks and chatted. Then we headed home and caught the last train out. It felt great to sleep that night after a long day of eating and drinking.
Thank you Matt for including me in your family holiday, it was so much fun! I was able to celebrate Christmas before my Thanksgiving!!!
More soon.
Cheers, Anna
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