He, The Flusher

December 24, 2024 

I left the warm, welcoming, ample bosom of Florida to land in the cold, angry deflated bosom of Detroit.

My brother-in-law rescued me and spirited me off to my the house in Windsor, being sure to point out the giant Uniroyal tire along the way.

We pulled in and there she stood in the doorway, waving a welcoming greeting - my eldest sister.

Gordette. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

On check-in for my Dec 23 flight, I was offered a first class upgrade for $122 USD.

I pondered for only a moment.

SOLD!

If I have to brave the potentially soul-crushing emotional minefield of a Christmas without the Quad Queen, I deserve to do it in style!

I pre-booked parking online and got offered an upgrade from the Economy lot to the short term lot for just $10 more.

SOLD!

The rigamarole went ok with Precheck etc. except, as is the norm, my personal item required hand checking. And moron number one ahead of me had packed wrapped cosmetics. And moron number two ahead of me had packed - get this - four - FOUR - full sized bottles. Three of olive oil, and a bottle of wine. He got sent packing.

Oh no, we're going the wrong way!

It was nice to be up front with a roomy seat and good service. The lunch was very tasty but unfortunately the lasagne was barely warm. I ate every bite anyway.

There were a few interesting sights along the way, and on landing, I caught a glimpse of the new Gordie Howe bridge!

A very tiny, blurry Gordie Howe bridge. It's kind of Pointy.

My brother-in-law was right on time and we had an uneventful trip back to the house, where Gordette welcomed me with open arms, and a can of Cherry Bubly.

We spent the rest of the day (Christmas Eve Day Eve Day) and evening (Christmas Eve Day Eve) visiting and having a simple but delicious meal of chicken and parm-showered roast vegetables, and then about 19 varieties of sweets, chocolates, cookies, and other Christmas treats.

The next day, of course, was Christmas Eve Day Eve. We had a light breakfast and more visiting until the rest of the family descended in the early afternoon.

Gordette and her husband Filet (I think he's of Polish descent, which explains nothing) have two children, each with spouses, and between them I have three grand nephews ranging from age 5 down to age 13 months.

And so it began, a true Christmas, because there were children present. And lots of presents present, which were summarily ripped open by eager children and adult children alike.

Why, Santa even remembered ole Flushie Claus with an amazing set of Beatles socks and various other things.

My Christmas Socks

Then it was on to an incredible feast. And he, the Flusher...

...carved the Roast Beast.

It was a fine Christmas indeed. And I was so engaged (and worn out) by the energy levels, great food, and endless treats that it was very enjoyable, and my worries about how I would deal with the event were set aside. This was a very, very good experience.