NEW YEARS EVE

What a night!! This year, in honour of Ryan turning 10 on December 31st, we decided to throw a huge family shindig for New Years Eve. The venue - Mum and Dad's house; the guest lists - all 3 generations; the theme - friends, family and fun! Always at the important milestones, Rachel, Steven, Rebecca and Joseph flew in from Atlanta for the week. From young in age to young at heart, about 130 close family and friends danced the night away. DJ Craig spun tunes from old time Jamaican music to top 40 hits and by 11pm the dance floor was packed. The kids had their own party area complete with a big movie screen and popcorn machine a disco tent, and all you can eat pizza, but by the time the dancing started, they joined our party and showed us a few dance moves of their own. At 4am as the party wound down, we relived the evening as we sat under the stars and sipped champagne; the first quiet moment of '09.

CHRISTMAS DAY

Christmas Day in the Kirkaldy House is always a fun filled, busy active one. Mum and Dad came over with Pat in the morning for breakfast. We enjoyed opening presents and our first feast of the day before heading off to Church. At noon we had Christmas lunch with David's family, and friends. About 40 gathered for the festivities, including the Pereira Clan from Jamaica, and the Mirrlees family from Canada. After a short afternoon nap, it was time to get all dressed up for the Christmas Dinner at the Godfrey house. The setting was formal, but the evening was, as always, a casual one with laughter, entertainment from the kids (Taylor played a violin solo and Bampa accompanied JC, Ryan and Taylor as they sang Bob Marley and a variety of Christmas songs). After the Christmas pudding was served, David treated us to a fabulous fireworks display. The day, as always, was one filled with the love of family, the laughter of children, and the joy of friendship.