Christmas 2005

Alrighty then! One more down! Woo hoo--and I don't even have a "Christmas Hang Over" this year! LOL!

So how did our clan spend the day you wonder? Well, it goes a little something like this:

Ralph and I got up at about 9am. We waited around a little while for the girls to get up, but they were being total sack-rats this morning, so we had to go roust them up. Santa had left his goodies out and they included (for each girl): a “2005” Christmas bear, a HUGE crayon bank filled with art and craft supplies, a pink/purple CD carrying case with HER name on it…and the BIG "Santa Gift" was a PORTABLE DVD PLAYER with a carrying case! Once they saw the stash that Santa left, it was ON! The ribbons and bows started FLYING! They got books, and Play-Doh , DVDs and CDs, Barbies and baby dolls, clothes and new scarves, mittens & a hats, board games and make-believe toys (foods for the tea party, a cash register, etc.), puzzles and a Light Brite (Yes, they DO still make those!). They were exhausted at the end of it all!

After that, the girls helped me open my gifts…Santa was VERY good to me this year! I got a new Mr. Coffee 4 cup PROGRAMMABLE coffee maker, a Skip Dr. (CD repair device), a Black & Decker Gizmo hand mixer (I am a sucker for PRACTICAL gifts!), Amirage de Givenchy perfume, gifts cards to Bath & Body Works and Sears, a snowman candle, 3 blouses and my VERY OWN West Virginia sweat shirt (now I don’t have to steal Ralph’s—LOL). I also got plenty of chocolate (I guess I must have been REALLY good this year!), too…I also got a really cute Winnie the Pooh mug and canister set for hot cocoa/coffee, a SanDisk for my MP3 player (expands the memory), and slippers, photo albums, Giorgio (original) and Giorgio Red perfumes, a Thomas Kincade gift basket with a journal, mug, teas and cookies all in a nice storage box. I would say over all it was a good haul, but as I told Bayleigh this afternoon, “Christmas is NOT all about the presents….it’s about love, family, and togetherness.” I hope that some day BOTH girls understand the importance behind this holiday...hopefully BEFORE they have families of their own!

We went to my Aunt Mary’s house at about 11:30am. We then gave Mom and Dad their gifts. My Dad loves food gifts baskets, but he hates that there’s usually a few items in there that he doesn’t like or doesn’t use. So I went to Cost Plus World Market and put together my OWN gift basket for him! I filled it with beef summer sausages, hot sauces & salsas, pickled okra (If you have not tried this, PLEASE DO try it sometime in your life time! OMG!!! I was WAY skeptical, but they TASTE just like dill pickles and have the okra texture), Tabasco minis, and other little delectable treats! I also got him the Jeff Foxworthy book, “The Redneck Dictionary”. He LOVED it! I was so glad! We were strapped for cash this year and practical gifts seemed to be the way for us to go! I got my Mom a kokopelli candle holder, her favorite Avon perfume, a new portable CD player (she wore hers out!) and some puzzle books. As soon as I can afford it, too, I am going to get them a subscription to the Friday and Sunday local newspaper.

At my Aunt’s house, the girls opened some more gifts…my Aunt Mary got them each a REAL tiara. OMG—I thought I was going to die—and then Kaylin’s hair was too fine to hold the comb in it so we had to make a pony tail on top of her head to hold the tiara in and she looked JUST LIKE “Cindy Lou Who” from “How The Grinch Stole Christmas!” My parents also got them new bedding sets, 2 outfits each and a new pair of shoes, “Santa” stuffed their stockings with bubble bath & lotion goodies, lip balms, undies, and crayons (as if they needed more of THOSE!!).

After a HUGE ham dinner with all the trimmings, home made yeast rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting (MY favorite!), I had to leave for work. I almost thought they were gonna have to roll me out to the car I was so full!!!

So even though I had to work last night, I don’t mind it too much. It’s quiet and everyone’s gone for the holiday. The university will be closed TODAY – 01/02 and will reopen for “bidness” on 01/03, so I’ve got a whole week of peace and quiet to enjoy—at DOUBLE overtime holiday pay! :o) Woo hoo! My first check of the New Year will be DOUBLE what a regular pay period check is for me. That will be great for us as we are planning on getting our sh*t together and we want to buy a house this year. Keep your fingers crossed!

I hope that you and your family and loved ones had a wonderful day as well. Even if some of us weren’t in much of a holiday spirit this year, it was nice to be together with family and NOT have tempers flaring or harsh words being exchanged (that HAS been known to happen @ our family gatherings!!!!). We enjoyed each other’s company, the good food and the general feeling of well-being and love that Christmas is all about.

Next year it's back to WV for "Appalachian Adventures~2006!!" :p

P.S. I got my temp cap glues back in on 12/24 so now I don't look like The Great Pumpkin when I smile. The dental asst. told me that my permanent crown is in--I jsut gotta get 'er done sometime after 1/1/06 --that's when my annual dental benefit rolls over. :o)