well?

Well, how did it go? 

Was your Christmas weekend as great as you had hoped it would be?  


Mine was.

We went to my mom's for a dinner party on Christmas eve eve.  It's a pretty small thing, just my sisters and their husbands, Kara and my niece KK, a few cousins and a few aunts and uncles.  Under twenty people for the most part.  But the things is, I pretty much love all of the people that are there, so it's fun - not one of those parties where you feel like you have to be "on," where you have to mingle and try to have a conversation.  For the most part, we end up sitting around with the younger crew, drinking and laughing and being inappropriate.  Good times always.  I ended up spilling an entire drink in my lap which made it look like I seriously wet my pants.  I was sitting there in mid slo-mo spill and my niece and I had this weird eye contact and we were like WTF, and burst out hysterically laughing.  Dinner was great, dessert was great, and we ended up home not too late.  We had to get home and finish wrapping because I hate wrapping on Christmas eve, which has happened far too often to count, unfortunately. 


Christmas Eve is spent at my Dad's house.

Alex with Abby and KK

Jen and Ty

Bridgett, Kara and Alex

Alex

We always have such a great time.  We typically get there at about 2 and stay til 6 or 7.  My Dad's wife Wendy always has everything decorated perfectly, and always puts out a huge, fantastic spread of food - from appetizers to dinner to dessert.  It's very relaxed though, no real plan of action.  Well, the only plan of action that I had personally was to get a family picture - of my whole little family.  Someone asked for a picture the other day and I didn't have ONE of all six of us together to give them.  I have a million of the four kids together, because I force them twice a year.  I also have plenty of pics with me and the kids, or Alex and the kids.  This year I needed just one.  That's all I wanted.

It's such a pain to take a picture like that!  First I have to drag everyone to the same place, then I have to get someone who is at least semi-competent with a camera to take the picture, then I have to get everyone looking in the same direction without looking stupid.  I think we accomplished that after several crappy attempts.  After that, I didn't care what we did.  Well, I also forced my kids to take a kid picture, but I do that every year, so they know it's coming.

Anyway, after a great afternoon of presents, great food and great company, we had to wind things down so we could all make our way to our respective houses. On Christmas Eve, we usually give the each of the kids a new pair of PJs and a new ornament for the tree.  Then we sit down and listen/read the book on tape for The Polar Express.  I love sitting there with all of them, looking at the pictures and listening.  Even Kara and Alex seem to not mind, which makes me happy.

Once that is wrapped up, the kids get cookies and notes to Santa out on the counter, and they go to bed.  Pretty much 8:00 and they are up and trying to fall asleep.  Alex and I finished up wrapping and that took us pretty much til 11:00 or so, then we set things up and went to bed.  The kids are allowed to wake us at 7:45, and that is exactly what they did.  I heard them up and moving around, giggling and running into each others rooms about an hour earlier than that.  But they waited it out.


Tomorrow I will get to part 2 of the Christmas post...