Merry Christmas!!!
I love Christmas time. It is such a happy time of year. Normally, it can go off without a hitch at my house. Well, at least we hope. This year everything was perfect. It might have been one of the best local Christmas' I can ever remeber.
I woke up Christmas Eve with some shopping to complete. Yea, I know, how could I wait that long? Procrastination is my game, and I play very well. I only had to get gifts for Chelsea, Jocelyn, and my Mom. Jocelyn was easy. She asked for a pedicure and manicure. Laura recommended a place by the Christian School. This was perfect. My goal was to stay out of the Mall. My next stop was Circuit City. They had the music I needed for Chelsea and my Mom. My mom wanted a new portable phone. Chelsea wanted some random country, and I got my Mom Ben Harper & The Blind Boys of Alabama - There Will Be Light. This is a gospel CD that grew out of a Paris Ben Harper date, to some jam sessions, to a full album. I'll have to say, its really really good. Its up for a few Grammys. Circuit City didn't have any copies left. Next, I tried Best Buy. Still no luck. I called Oceans II Downtown, and they had a copy. Score. My Christmas Shopping was complete.
I went home to pack up some gifts and clothes. I had to make the long and tiring twenty minute drive to my parents house. Emily and I planned to spend the afternoon at Gran's. I just had to drop off my stuff, and she drove us out to Montgomery County. This was really enjoyable because; I was able to spend time with Emily. She is at school in Chicago and always traveling. I don't get to spend much time with her. She played some good music in the car, and we talked about school. She did well last semester, and is really enjoying Chicago. She lives right in the Loop. Very Lucky. She will be staying out there next summer. I plan on visiting.
At Gran's house, Emily received some knitting lessons. Aunt Milly came over to show me her pictures from her recent trip to Europe. I was excited to see shots of Budapest, Prague, Vienna, and Salzburg. Gran made us a tasty lunch of Crab Cakes. You would think the date was July 24th. I have been eating Crab for a week straight. I took a nap on the couch while Gran and Emily continued to knit.
We ended up staying too long to go home before Christmas Eve service. It is a good think my Mom's church is pretty liberal. I was in a sweatshit, jeans, and a winter hat. We stopped along the way for coffee. I needed to wake up. This was the first time I saw my Mom's church. They recently purcahsed an actual building. They don't have to have service in random places anymore. I was dissappointed she wasn't playing music, but it was a lovely service. The pastor is a guy we call Mr. D. He was one of my favorite teachers in Middle and High School. Its always fun to hear him speak.
After the service, we went back to my parents house. I had planned to spend the night. I wrapped up the gifts I purchased earlier that day. Then we organized the gifts around the tree. We have a tradition of opening a gift on Christmas Eve. This was a huge deal when we were 5 years old, but I didn't participate this year. My mom opened the Ben Harper CD. She absolutely loved it. We listened to the whole thing while I read. Shortly there after, the parents went to bed. I stayed up with the girls chatting till after 1am. Its interesting to hear about their lives. We are all so very different, yet similiar in intricate ways. Emily and I ended up sleeping downstairs in the front room. I had a couch, and she was on the floor. There arn't enough bedrooms in my parents new house for each kid.
Christmas Day, I was awoken by Jocelyn at 1030am. We choose that time as the wake up time. Everyone else was already up, but I wanted to sleep. Aunt Milly and Gran arrived around 11am. I had some fruit and amazing sugar cookies for breakfest. Jocelyn made these huge sugar cookies. They must have been five inches in diameter. She topped each with homemade sugar icing in the shape of trees, snowmen, and the like. My head was bouncing around the room all cracked out from sugar.
Opening gifts was so much fun. We all sat in the living room. I took a bunch of photos with the new camera. I love how quickly I can get from shot to shot. I some great ones of facial expressions. The funniest gift I received was a toilet bowl cleaner from my Gran. Back in August, my mom came over my house to help me clean the bathroom. She dropped off a bunch of supplies and had a great time showing me what to do. My Gran found out and was instantly jealous. She called to tell me my Mom's way was wrong. I wasn't to clean the toilet with a sponge. I wasn't to put my hand in the toilet. I didn't care either way. She seized the opportunity and gave me the toilet bowl brush. So Funny. I also received some Hungarian Paprika, chocolate, socks, gift certicates, and some cash. I enjoyed all the gifts.
Of course, we always have a large meal to finish the afternoon. I sat waiting eating more cookies while the roast cooked. The girls went across the street to ride. Everyone else lounged around the house. It was finally ready after 3pm. I was so hungry. We had Roast Beef, Creamed Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Pinnapple Bake, Carrots, and Dessert. I was so tired and full after the meal, I had to go home. I said Good Bye and Merry Christmas to my family, and drove the grueling twenty minutes back to my house.
Like I said before, I can't remeber a better Christmas with the immediate family. We had so much fun spending time with each other. I really loved talking to my sisters. We spent more time joking around then opening presents. Everyone got along so well, and the food was perfect! I hope the years to come are as much fun.
