Pink Toolboxes and Pooping Reindeer

It’s nice to have a good report about Christmas!  Once again, this year I had fun!

Christmas Eve silliness

I think widow Christmases require a strange dance of managing expectations that it’s never gonna be like it used to be, but also planning to have a good time so that you don’t ruin it for everyone else.  That was my strategy this year, anyway, and it worked!

We started our morning the way we have at my parent’s house since I was a kid:  with birthday cake for Jesus (we sing Happy Birthday, as well).  This year Ellie and I didn’t even fight over who got to blow out the candle. 

As we were finishing up the last lines of the song, my brother called from Afghanistan.  We decided to try to Skype, so after about 15 tries, we had had about a 30 minute conversation.  It was great fun.   He’s clean-shaven again, and looked more like his normal self (not the Hairy McShaggerson that he had been at Thanksgiving).  He is hoping to return soon, so we’re all so excited!

Next, we opened presents.

My favorite present:  I got tools, but in a girly, pink toolbox.  Yes, please!  I’m so stoked, and my dad obviously picked them because they’re Craftsman (that’s his tool brand of choice).

I also got hilarious stocking stuffers.  Not actually in a stocking, as mine is still nestled in it’s box (sigh. maybe someday), but piled on a table.  This was my favorite item:

What can I say?  We're classy.

Later we went to a movie, an old tradition that went away but has re-surfaced (and we were joined by my bestie), then got together with the rest of the family for the rest of the presents, dinner, and games (That sounds much more boring than the rip-roaring good time it was.  You should all be jealous of my family.  We’re really cool and really fun.). 

It was a good day.  I was surrounded by those I love, I only got sad a few times, I got cool, thoughtful gifts, I got to give fun presents, I laughed a lot, and, it’s over for one more year.  Phew.