Christmas Summary

I have been dragging my feet about posting our Christmas happenings...not because Christmas wasn't great...but because we did SO much and I was dreading writing a really long post. But, here I am, and I think instead of telling a VERY long story (in traditional Sally fashion), I'll just hit the highlights.


* Day before Christmas Eve - dinner with MIL and FIL as well as all siblings and their families -- we were VERY glad we got to go home to sleep in our own beds!

* Christmas Eve - we stayed away from the in-laws until after we went to our evening service at church (I really wanted to participate in the candlelight service at the church we've been attending, and ILs church doesn't do that), but we headed over there for homemade Mexican food (that the Colorado siblings brought) after church...and AGAIN, we were glad we weren't spending the night there

* DONUTS - this gets its OWN bullet -- MIL is FAMOUS for making HOMEMADE donuts...this is the first year in a while she's made them, and the first time I've tasted them. They are AMAZING! MIL and SIL set up a little assembly line where they fried and glazed the donuts (they had cut and raised them earlier in the day), and the rest of us just sat around drooling until the first pan was set on the table in front of us (there was no worry that you wouldn't get enough because they made 6 dozen, but none of them made it past Christmas afternoon!).

* At the ILs house, we end up spending most of our time in an area about 800 square feet -- that's 10 adults and 4 kids....and the kids NEVER put toys away so you have to stumble over toys and clothes and mattresses (because there aren't enough bedrooms for everyone)...it's amazing that no one got hurt! *smile*

* Christmas Day - B and I got up about 8:30, drank hot chocolate with our leftover donuts, opened our stockings to each other (I got a Chi flat iron and yummy jammies and some DVDs that I wanted - not bad!!), then headed BACK to the ILs for presents with the siblings and kids.

* Assigned seats?? - for opening gifts?? Well, apparently that's so at the ILs...my SIL (married to B's youngest brother. who I love dearly) just about DRAGGED me off the couch because I was in HER spot. What?? So, in this family, they have been sitting in EXACTLY the same spots to open gifts for YEARA...and MY spot is on the floor! Let's not forget to mention that I'm about 6 years older than aforementioned SIL (whom I love). I was ready to have a knock-down-drag-out, but B told me to forget it and get on the floor. We did manage to outrank my BIL and his fiance, since they aren't married yet...but they were on the floor right next to us! Whatever! I guess maybe it has something to do with the fact that this is the first Christmas we've actually been there for.

* Wrapping paper drama - So, the ILs open gifts a little differently than I'm used to. My family opens one per person at a time so we can all see what each other received...and while we do that, Mom makes a list so we can all remember in 2 weeks and so we can write thank you notes. Well, at the ILs, it's just a MAD dash to open all the gifts as fast as possible. FIL passes them all out and then people just start tearing into them - kids, adults, it doesn't matter, it's all the same. AND all the paper and boxes and tissue paper just gets thrown all around. I freaked out! At one point, I got up and started picking up paper from all over the place (This particular obsession is 2 fold - 1 is I can't stand things to be unorganized, and 2 is that at my 7th birthday party, I lost a favorite gift because it was thrown out in the wrapping paper).

* Mom and Dad arrive! B and I left the ILs mid-afternoon to go pick up my parents from the airport. Once we had claimed all their luggage, we headed home to give them a tour of the house, drive them past the house they bought down the street from us (that Mom has never seen) and walk around the neighborhood. Then I made dinner (meatloaf, potatoes, corn, green beans, and rolls), and we opened gifts (for the 3rd time that day!).

* Mom and Dad are staying until New Year's Day, so we've been shopping and eating out and seeing movies and doing all kinds of fun stuff. M&D are moving here in a year or so after they retire, so we have to show them the town!


Well, my theory that bullets would take the place of a long post was obviously wrong, but there ya go...that's our Christmas. AND, I'm still off work until January 2, so let the fun continue!