CHRISTMAS IN OHIO

Robert and I returned late last night from a week in Columbus - very, very cold Columbus - visiting the Hill branch of the family and had a great time. After taking off over an hour late from SLC in a snowstorm, waiting to be de-iced, waiting our turn on the one runway that was plowed, we had a non eventful trip to Minneapolis, where, although it was noon, it was 2' below zero. I don't think I was ever completely warm again. We again had to wait to be de-iced and watched as snow flew around. I don't think it was actually snowing - just blowing around stuff that will never melt till July. Columbus was incredibly cold and yet no snow. Freezing rain, and frozen roads bad enough to suspend school, but no snow until, of course, as we drove to the airport yesterday to fly home! There is nothing that gives you confidence in your flying safety as you taxi toward the runway (the same week that the Continental plane skidded off the runway in Denver) and your pilot keeps jamming on the brakes as if to test them and makes sure they really work - I hope those weren't all close calls with other aircraft, that's even scarier. And then when that plane landed in Cincinnati and we were taxi-ing to the gate, the jet skidded and fishtailed on the frozen ground. Such fun. And then our flight to SLC was delayed quite a bit by the storms. But when we finally boarded there were no problems, no ice, no storms and we're home!


But leaving Ohio was so hard! We had fun and Zoe and Jimmy didn't want us to go. Robert and I got to go to Zoe's school and volunteer at her holiday party, making Gingerbread houses. Robert made some good friends at his end of the table, and after Zoe made her house say OHIO on one side of the roof and UTAH on the other, suddenly all the kids wanted to write words on their houses, too. But some of them couldn't figure out that you had to pull the strings of licorice apart first and got very grumpy when they couldn't bend a huge hunk of licorice into a letter. Later that night we went to the Columbus Zoo to see the lights. They were on a level of magnitude higher than Hogle, just as the huge zoo is higher than Hogle, but they didn't have all of the cute moving and running animal lights that Hogle did. A really impressive display though was all of the lights in the trees and areas around the lake were set to dance to music and it was wonderful. If the kids would have braved the cold better, we could have gone all over the zoo - there were millions of lights everywhere! There was also Santa and this posed a problem. The item that Jimmy wanted is sold out everywhere - a certain Thomas the Tank Engine train. Allison finally found one that is not that specific one, but is from the same movie and is bigger and has been trying to talk him into it, but no luck. So she managed to get to Santa first and quickly explained things. Santa told Jim that he knew what Jimmy wanted, but he knew of something even more wonderful and that Jimmy would be happy on Christmas morning. And Jimmy was okay with it. For about two days. And then he was right back to the original and how Santa can bring it because his elves can make it, etc. The other problem at the zoo was Zoe. She has steadily wanted one thing since October - the Tinkerbell movie. Nothing else will do. So, she asked Santa for movie tickets to see some movie I can't remember the name to. Allison and I were agape (we already bought the Tinkerbell movie). Zoe just shrugged and said, "I changed my mind." Kids.
On Sunday, we had our own Christmas dinner and mini-Matheson party. Ben and Amanda came over. Allison set the most gorgeous table. This was in the afternoon after leading her choir in their Christmas program in Sacrament Meeting. Robert made a pork roast, Allison made mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables, Amanda brought Grandma Matheson's homemade rolls, and Allison made a hot fudge cake with peppermint ice cream for dessert.

We had British crackers to pull and wore the paper hats that come out of them. The food was wonderful and it was nice to have an extended family group together.
Afterwards we opened presents from the Matheson draw and from Grandma and Grandpa Matheson and other presents from SLC family. Zoe was wearing her new Christmas dress that looks like the one Rosemary Clooney wore in White Christmas and every time she entered a room while wearing it, she would pose dramatically and sing, "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas".

Jimmy was completely attached to Grandpa. He had him in his room almost the whole first day we were there, building the most elaborate train track, with tunnels and bridges, and 5 trains running on it. At night he refused to go to bed because he thought we'd leave while he was asleep. Robert finally manged to convince him we'd still be there in the morning and Jim said, "Good, because, I certainly need you tomorrow." Every morning Jimmy and Grandpa would start the day watching the movie Cars.

At night after the kids were in bed, Allison and I and which ever husband we could get to join us, would play games. We played Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, Sorry, Life, Apples to Apples, Rummikub, Rummy royal - I know I'm forgetting some, but we had a lot of fun. Especially when we ran out of hotels in Monopoly and used candy instead. Then as you got foreclosed, you could just eat them up!

We got to see Allison's cafe, got to shop for Christmas presents, wrap them up and have fun together. I even got to be a duck in Relief Society. All in all, we had a great time, and it was very sad to say goodbye again. But gratifying to see how well they are doing in Columbus.