Christmas

Sunday, 25 Dec 2011 – We forgot to wish everyone a Merry Christmas last night.  We hope everyone at home has been having a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

After returning to our cabin from dinner last evening, Sally slept from about 8:00 to 11:00 PM!  Jesse had been working on the Blog and watching movies on TV, and after Sally woke up for a while & tweaked the Blog a little, he sent it out.  And then about 12:30 P.M., it was back to sleep for both of us!  We had considered attending midnight Mass with the priest that boarded the ship at Rio, but we couldn’t manage to do that. 

However, we did attend Mass at 9:00 this morning.  The priest (on the worship aid identified as “Rev. James N. Watzke, Ph.D./Clinical and Consulting Psychologist”) said he was associated with Notre Dame, but has been working as a clinical psychologist in Chicago for the past 40 years.  The content of his homily was interesting (to Sally – it sounded a lot like psychology: the idea of rebirth & innocence), and during the Mass we sang five Christmas carols (with all verses), so it really felt like Christmas!

After Mass, we went for a late breakfast (10:00), where we sat with a couple whom we recognized as often being with our small tour group.  They were surprised to hear that we actually climbed the 220 steps up to Christ the Redeemer yesterday.  Many of the “older” people found the elevator or escalator.  Also, we were shown their iPad (the second time on this cruise that this has happened), and we now see the advantages in becoming more modern!  We enjoyed a light lunch, 3-1/2 hours later, where we conversed with a French-speaking couple from Montreal.  Jesse told them au revoir as they were leaving and they complemented him on his excellent pronunciation.  (Jesse took one semester of French at St. Benedict’s or it would be more accurate to say that French took him!)

Today the TV channel that gives ship data proclaims this as Day #1 of the cruise (not #17 that we have actually been aboard).  Also, the seas were called “rough” most of the day instead of the usual “moderate.”  The wind was strong, and it was raining in a fine mist (all day until about 6:00 P.M.), which is the first time on this trip, so that the temperature was 10 degrees or more cooler than it was yesterday.  We were surprised to see the buffet breakfast area packed with people so late in the morning, but we were told that there was a lot of partying going on at midnight last night; more Latinos are now on board, and apparently they celebrate most on Christmas Eve.

We participated in a ballroom dance lesson on the Merengue at 4:30 P.M.    After dinner (the fourth formal one), we attended the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Party, with free champagne; and danced again to the Buenos Aires Quartet and then to the Grooveline.  We decided to skip our swimming exercise tonight, but finished our evening sitting in the hot tub.  Although today didn’t feel much like Christmas and we missed seeing any of our family, we still had a great time.