Christmas

at our house was marvelous and grand. We were blessed to have two of our granddaughters with us this year. It didn't keep us from missing our Hawaii kids any less, but it did help soften the blow a little.

I wish I could post some pictures of the festivities, but I'm learning to use my new laptop (thank you Santa/husband!) and don't have my holiday photos downloaded here and don't have the 1st clue as to how to get them here.

The days leading up to the 25th were as much fun as the Day itself. We spent them out doing last minute shopping and one night even braved the traffic to drive to our tourist town to see the pectacular light show they put on. We drove down the main street ogling the tourists as they ogled the lights For a nightcap, we pulled into the Krispey Kreme and ordered boxes of deep-fried sugary goodness. I mean the "hot" light was on, we had too, right? By the time we made it home, there was very little sugary goodness left. We spent our evenings crammed on the couch and lolling in every available chair, cuddling the baby grand and playing with the 5 yr. old grand.

I really like Christmas Eve because this year I got to take it easy as my Italian son-in-law was the designated cook, along with any of the others he could enlist. My husband contributed pies, so I was truly off the hook. The best part of the evening was the traditional reading of "The Night Before Christmas" by Granddaddy to Hilary and Sophia. Amazingly, Hilary went to sleep at a decent hour and the grown-ups were left to be Santa's elves. Most of the elves had a few glasses of wine under their belts but the boy elves still managed together a pirate ship while the girl elves stuffed stockings and giggled about nothing.

It was baby Sophia who roused everyone Christmas morning wanting her bottle. I think I can safely say that we all had a wonderful, wonderful holiday full of surprises, fun, and just enjoyment of being together.