A Very Merry Christmas – Part 1

Christmas Eve at my sister's house.

It was an odd Christmas this year. Partially because, despite having all the presents bought and wrapped weeks in advance, it kind of snuck up on me. Like everything else seemed to do this year. And partially because for the first time in my entire life my family wasn’t getting together on Christmas.

My sister decided to host on Christmas Eve a party for our side of the family and her husband’s. And we decided that there was really no need then to get together to do the exact same thing two days in a row.

So Christmas Eve it was.

I stole a half bag of ice salt from my apartment building and dug my car out its snowy cocoon. I had made a rule that I wasn’t going to drive in snow this year. Because I am paranoid and driving in snow just scares me and I didn’t want to deal with it. But it was a holiday so I dealt with it.

I got to my sister’s place and played with my nephew who ran back and forth to the different windows to point out that there were cars outside of one of the windows. And had conversations that consisted primarily of the words “hi,” “train,” and “bye.”

When my mom came we all sat around the tree and opened presents. Another odd thing as we’ve never opened family gifts on Christmas Eve before. Everyone enjoyed their gifts.

This is most of what I got…does it look like I have some awesome plans for the future?

My sisters pitched in and got me this Kelly Moore camera bag, but it’s backordered so I won’t get in for another month or so. I am really excited because I have wanted something cute I can tote my camera around in that doesn’t look like a camera bag!

After opening presents I was put to work making the punch that I couldn’t drink (it was full of high fructose corn syrup) but I did discover that Jen had bought cranberry Sierra Mist and I could drink it because it was made of sugar! So I drank it and it was the first time I actually drank soda in about seven months!

And my brother in law backed into my car. But luckily he just hit the side that was already scratched up from the two times I hit something with it.

And then everyone else came. And we ate Christmas dinner. And we exchanged White Elephant gifts.

And then I drove back in the snow and Heather and I watched It’s a Wonderful Life. And I put out a cookie and a Pepsi for Santa.

And I waited at my computer until Santa hit Chicago.

I guess that maybe it’s silly for an almost 30-year-old to be glued to her computer giddily tracking where Santa is going. But who cares?