I had a great time on Christmas. Too bad I suck at Christmas. Like my two year old daughter (Briana) said this year, "best Christmas ever". Okay, so maybe it's not the best ever.
As a father though, this year was really nice because Briana simply enjoys Christmas. Even though she seems scared stiff of Santa, she seems to understand that he brings gifts to the good girls and boys and all of that. So needless to say, she was quite excited on Christmas morning.
This year, Karen and I hosted Christmas. It was a small gathering, consisting of our respective parents. But it was a good time. I think both of our parents enjoyed seeing Briana and my ten month old (Bridget) playing with their toys.
Later that night, we headed over to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) to celebrate Christmas with her and her family. And by we, I mean my family and Karen's parents. Luckily, I didn't have to kick my parents out on Christmas to make Janine's.
Needless to say, it was an interesting time at my favorite sister-in-law's. I got to school my little niece (Kaleigh) in Just Dance 4. Yep, I have moves. Or perhaps I can only bust a move to "Call Me Maybe" because I got schooled in subsequent dance offs against Janine and Karen. I think Karen may be addicted to the game now. Or maybe she's just a dancing machine.
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Friday, December 28, 2012
Sunday, December 25, 2011
I Suck At Christmas
Happy birthday our lord and savior, Anna! For anyone curious, today happens to be my friend's (Anna) birthday. So happy birthday! I hope you have a great day! Coincidentally, today also happens to be Christmas. Too bad I suck at Christmas.
Karen and I started the day watching my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) open her presents from Santa. I don't think Briana has quite gotten the whole Santa concept just yet. She has, however, seemed to figure out that she gets presents and very much likes to open presents. And truthfully, who doesn't like getting presents? It was definitely fun being able to see Briana open her gifts.
Shortly afterwards, my parents came over for breakfast. Because I have a small family and Christmas day is usually spent at my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine), my parents come over in the morning for breakfast. And on the menu for breakfast: waffles! Someday, I'll have to experiment and make different types of waffles. The waffles I make are just too plain in my opinion. Maybe chocolate chip waffles next year? That sounds good. Although anything with chocolate sounds good.
Anyway, my parents enjoyed watching Briana open her presents from them. We even did the family thing by contacting my brother who lives in Texas to wish him a Merry Christmas (or Happy Annamas). My brother, who recently met Briana back in October, seemed to enjoy the fact that she said "Hi" and "Bye" to him. All in all, it was a good time with my family.
From there, I made some roasted potatoes to bring to Janine's. I don't know whether I should be offended or not because Janine was hesitant to ask me to make roasted potatoes. She did not want Karen to exert herself by making the potatoes. At the same time, she was afraid to ask me to make them because she was not sure if I knew how to.
Funny thing about being married to a dietitian: people seem to think that the dietitian does all the cooking. Oh how wrong that is. I can't remember the last time Karen made a meal. Part of that is because I have been home before Karen returns from her own job. And with Briana, I don't really have much of a choice but to figure out how to make something when it's time for her to eat.
Now granted, by no means am I chef. I can do some things. Roasting potatoes happen to be one the things I (and probably a lot of other people) can do. And really, if I did not know how to do it, I'd consult my trusty friend, Google. So I thought it was a little bizarre that Janine was hesitant to ask. Little does my favorite sister-in-law with the gluten allergy know, I put gluten in the roasted potatoes. I'm just kidding. The potatoes were gluten free.
Potatoes aside, Christmas at Janine's was great. My niece (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ) had a great time. This year, I had the dubious distinction of saving Christmas for PJ. Apparently, we accidentally forgot to bring PJ's present. Stressed, Karen wanted to go home to get the present. Naturally, I volunteered. So Karen told me to get the present wrapped in silver. And by silver, she apparently meant blue. Luckily for me, I knew what we had gotten PJ because I probably would not have found the present based on Karen's description.
For me, one of the other more memorable parts of the night involved my dance off with Kaleigh. My favorite niece challenged me to a duel in Dance Party 3, which is a dancing video game if you could not tell by the name. Always up for a challenge, I accepted. After all, I bested the best. My friend (Hot Amy) who used to play tennis... beaten in a tennis match by yours truly who never played tennis. Hot Amy in anything... beaten. Okay, so maybe Hot Amy and her propensity for losing was not the "best".
So how hard could it be to take on a second grader in a video game? Well, I should have stopped after one dance off. After all, the first dance off challenge between Kaleigh and I went to me. And like any good uncle, I did some trash talking. From there, I just went downhill losing the next three. Despite the mounting losses, it was a riot playing against Kaleigh. She was just so serious and determined to win. It was fun... and quite the workout.
All in all, it was a great Christmas. I enjoyed the time with my family. I enjoyed the time with Karen's family. Since the passing of my son (Braden) over three years ago, I have come to cherish the time spent with family and friends because that time is so limited. So for me, today was quite rewarding.
Anyway, Merry Christmas everyone!
Karen and I started the day watching my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) open her presents from Santa. I don't think Briana has quite gotten the whole Santa concept just yet. She has, however, seemed to figure out that she gets presents and very much likes to open presents. And truthfully, who doesn't like getting presents? It was definitely fun being able to see Briana open her gifts.
Shortly afterwards, my parents came over for breakfast. Because I have a small family and Christmas day is usually spent at my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine), my parents come over in the morning for breakfast. And on the menu for breakfast: waffles! Someday, I'll have to experiment and make different types of waffles. The waffles I make are just too plain in my opinion. Maybe chocolate chip waffles next year? That sounds good. Although anything with chocolate sounds good.
Anyway, my parents enjoyed watching Briana open her presents from them. We even did the family thing by contacting my brother who lives in Texas to wish him a Merry Christmas (or Happy Annamas). My brother, who recently met Briana back in October, seemed to enjoy the fact that she said "Hi" and "Bye" to him. All in all, it was a good time with my family.
From there, I made some roasted potatoes to bring to Janine's. I don't know whether I should be offended or not because Janine was hesitant to ask me to make roasted potatoes. She did not want Karen to exert herself by making the potatoes. At the same time, she was afraid to ask me to make them because she was not sure if I knew how to.
Funny thing about being married to a dietitian: people seem to think that the dietitian does all the cooking. Oh how wrong that is. I can't remember the last time Karen made a meal. Part of that is because I have been home before Karen returns from her own job. And with Briana, I don't really have much of a choice but to figure out how to make something when it's time for her to eat.
Now granted, by no means am I chef. I can do some things. Roasting potatoes happen to be one the things I (and probably a lot of other people) can do. And really, if I did not know how to do it, I'd consult my trusty friend, Google. So I thought it was a little bizarre that Janine was hesitant to ask. Little does my favorite sister-in-law with the gluten allergy know, I put gluten in the roasted potatoes. I'm just kidding. The potatoes were gluten free.
Potatoes aside, Christmas at Janine's was great. My niece (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ) had a great time. This year, I had the dubious distinction of saving Christmas for PJ. Apparently, we accidentally forgot to bring PJ's present. Stressed, Karen wanted to go home to get the present. Naturally, I volunteered. So Karen told me to get the present wrapped in silver. And by silver, she apparently meant blue. Luckily for me, I knew what we had gotten PJ because I probably would not have found the present based on Karen's description.
For me, one of the other more memorable parts of the night involved my dance off with Kaleigh. My favorite niece challenged me to a duel in Dance Party 3, which is a dancing video game if you could not tell by the name. Always up for a challenge, I accepted. After all, I bested the best. My friend (Hot Amy) who used to play tennis... beaten in a tennis match by yours truly who never played tennis. Hot Amy in anything... beaten. Okay, so maybe Hot Amy and her propensity for losing was not the "best".
So how hard could it be to take on a second grader in a video game? Well, I should have stopped after one dance off. After all, the first dance off challenge between Kaleigh and I went to me. And like any good uncle, I did some trash talking. From there, I just went downhill losing the next three. Despite the mounting losses, it was a riot playing against Kaleigh. She was just so serious and determined to win. It was fun... and quite the workout.
All in all, it was a great Christmas. I enjoyed the time with my family. I enjoyed the time with Karen's family. Since the passing of my son (Braden) over three years ago, I have come to cherish the time spent with family and friends because that time is so limited. So for me, today was quite rewarding.
Anyway, Merry Christmas everyone!
Friday, December 23, 2011
I Suck At Sending Christmas Cards
I have that nasty envelope glue taste in my mouth and I thought I would share. I finally finished addressing all of the envelopes for this year's Christmas cards. Sure, today is the day before Christmas Eve... but I suck at sending Christmas cards.
In my defense, the cards that we ordered online did not arrive on time. We ordered our cards through Vistaprint this year and just for some reason the actual delivery date was a little slower than the estimated delivery date. Oh well. Hopefully no one will mind that the cards are that late.
Someday when snail mail is totally a thing of the past, I'll never have to worry about sending out Christmas cards on time (or ever...). But until then, I'll have to make do with what I have.
In my defense, the cards that we ordered online did not arrive on time. We ordered our cards through Vistaprint this year and just for some reason the actual delivery date was a little slower than the estimated delivery date. Oh well. Hopefully no one will mind that the cards are that late.
Someday when snail mail is totally a thing of the past, I'll never have to worry about sending out Christmas cards on time (or ever...). But until then, I'll have to make do with what I have.
Monday, December 6, 2010
I Still Suck At Holiday Parties
Sunday continued my 128 North weekend. Having taken 128 North from Norwell to Salem for my BFF's (Kerry) holiday party on Saturday, Karen and I took 128 North again for our annual family holiday party (only this time from Norwell to Lowell). I can't wait to take 128 North yet again for my commute to and from the office in Danvers too. That will be three trips up 128 North from Norwell in four days. Fun.
As usual there is a lot to like about Lowell (or so the city will have you believe). Like last year, Karen's aunt (Denise) was gracious enough to host Christmas for the family. Denise had scheduled the family party for this past Sunday because it just so happens that Karen's aunt and uncle (Sandy and Billy) from Georgia were up visiting this weekend. Too bad I still suck at holiday parties.
As far as family gatherings go, it was an interesting get-together. For me, the highlight of the party, of course, was the annual silly swap. Although I must say, the catered food was a close second. I'm not normally one for deli meat. The roast beef, however, was quite delicious. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I must have eaten about a pound of it.
I got to unload my old hardly-been-worn high school band jacket during the silly swap. That's right. I was in band... albeit very very very briefly. My instrument of choice: drums. My fondest memories of my band days (among not being able to paradiddle on the drums) was sadly marching in one of Quincy's parade. And by marching, I mean bumping into the backside of my friend (Kathy) with a huge bass drum. Apparently, I could not march either. Interestingly enough, I think it may even have been the Christmas parade that I marched in. So it's only fitting that my band jacket be swapped during the holidays.
Needless to say, it was nice to finally put that band jacket to good use. I actually never wore the jacket while I was in high school because I had my track jacket instead. It was not until recently that I even got a hold of the jacket, thanks to my mother who was cleaning out her attic. Naturally on a whim, I jokingly wore the jacket to my friends' (Cass and Ellen) not too long ago. And yes, the jacket is a lot smaller than I remember.
Karen's Aunt (Mary) ended up with the band jacket. Aunt Mary is actually the younger sister of Karen's Nana. As far as crazy family members go, I would say Aunt Mary is up there. Mary is likely to say something crazy... forget... and then say the same exact crazy thing again... forget... and then repeat the cycle again and again. This was even before she needed assisted living.
I imagine talking to Mary is a lot like talking to me. So I suppose it's only fitting that she receive a stylish high school band jacket. When she put on the jacket, which actually had my name on the sleeve, it was like we were back in high school and we were "going steady". Hubba Hubba... Mary.
Anyway, it was an interesting family get-together as usual.
As usual there is a lot to like about Lowell (or so the city will have you believe). Like last year, Karen's aunt (Denise) was gracious enough to host Christmas for the family. Denise had scheduled the family party for this past Sunday because it just so happens that Karen's aunt and uncle (Sandy and Billy) from Georgia were up visiting this weekend. Too bad I still suck at holiday parties.
As far as family gatherings go, it was an interesting get-together. For me, the highlight of the party, of course, was the annual silly swap. Although I must say, the catered food was a close second. I'm not normally one for deli meat. The roast beef, however, was quite delicious. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I must have eaten about a pound of it.
I got to unload my old hardly-been-worn high school band jacket during the silly swap. That's right. I was in band... albeit very very very briefly. My instrument of choice: drums. My fondest memories of my band days (among not being able to paradiddle on the drums) was sadly marching in one of Quincy's parade. And by marching, I mean bumping into the backside of my friend (Kathy) with a huge bass drum. Apparently, I could not march either. Interestingly enough, I think it may even have been the Christmas parade that I marched in. So it's only fitting that my band jacket be swapped during the holidays.
Needless to say, it was nice to finally put that band jacket to good use. I actually never wore the jacket while I was in high school because I had my track jacket instead. It was not until recently that I even got a hold of the jacket, thanks to my mother who was cleaning out her attic. Naturally on a whim, I jokingly wore the jacket to my friends' (Cass and Ellen) not too long ago. And yes, the jacket is a lot smaller than I remember.
Karen's Aunt (Mary) ended up with the band jacket. Aunt Mary is actually the younger sister of Karen's Nana. As far as crazy family members go, I would say Aunt Mary is up there. Mary is likely to say something crazy... forget... and then say the same exact crazy thing again... forget... and then repeat the cycle again and again. This was even before she needed assisted living.
I imagine talking to Mary is a lot like talking to me. So I suppose it's only fitting that she receive a stylish high school band jacket. When she put on the jacket, which actually had my name on the sleeve, it was like we were back in high school and we were "going steady". Hubba Hubba... Mary.
Anyway, it was an interesting family get-together as usual.
I Suck At Holiday Parties
Feeling that there was very little time between now and Christmas, I spent most of Saturday putting up our Christmas tree. Luckily for Karen and I, our Christmas tree is artificial and does not require much effort to actually place in a stand. Had Karen and I gotten a real tree, things would have taken a lot more time.
Needless to say, our Christmas tree is up and decorated. As well, Karen decorated the rest of our house with holiday items. For anyone curious, one of my favorite holiday decorations is this tiny little glass frog with a Santa hat on it. The tiny glass frog was something that Karen and I just happened to pick up while on vacation.
Anyway, we were able to finish decorating the house for the holidays just in time for my BFF's (Kerry) holiday party that evening. For anyone curious, I suck at holiday parties.
This was the eighth annual holiday party that Kerry has hosted. If I had to guess, I would guess that her holiday party is one of the things that she looks forward to every year. Because of that fact, I have attended every single one of her holiday parties thus far, with the exception of one. (And for anyone curious, that exception happened to be a result of the party being scheduled on the birthday celebration of another friend.)
Shortly before the party, I received a call from my friend (Carlos). The Check Engine Light appeared in Carlos's car as he was coming back from the gym. Hesitant to continue driving the car, especially from Quincy to Salem where the party was being held, he asked for Kerry's number to notify her that he could not make the party. Naturally, I offered him a ride instead.
It was definitely good to see Carlos again. Prior to the week before at the Quincy parade, I had not seen Carlos since probably February. So it has been a long time. I thought the drive both to and from the party would be a nice way to catch up on things. And it was. Among the things that I do miss about working in downtown Boston is hanging out with Carlos. Hanging out with Aimee and Hot Amy are other things too that I miss. And of course, I also miss the food.
Anyway, the holiday party itself was an interesting time. I think a bunch of us got to learn some new friend facts. Granted, most of those facts centered around Kerry's friend (Steve). Steve was thought to be a long time Rhode Island resident, since that is how all of us came to know him (via Kerry and her connections to Rhode Island). It turns out, Steve is from Massachusetts.
Another random fact: Steve also scored a 1440 on his SAT scores. I happen to remember this fact only because immediately after he told everyone, I thought about my friend (Sam). Back in the day, Sam scored a 1300 on his SATs. And to make sure that everyone knew about this amazing feat, Sam kept his SAT results in his wallet. Sam would then promptly (and proudly) show anyone who asked about his results. Naturally, that led me to wonder if Steve did the same thing with his scores.
Karen and I had a nice time. I think it was good to get out of the house without our baby daughter (Briana). For sanity reasons, I think it's always good to do things without feeling handcuffed by your child.
Luckily, Kerry's adults only party provided the much needed relief. Interestingly enough, I think Karen and I may have been the only ones at the party who even had a child. Regardless, it was fun. As usual, it was good to hang out with friends at the party. Joining in on the festivities this year were our friends (Cass, Ellen, Marc, Kelley, Garv, Leeann, and Andrea). So all in all, it was a fun time.
Needless to say, our Christmas tree is up and decorated. As well, Karen decorated the rest of our house with holiday items. For anyone curious, one of my favorite holiday decorations is this tiny little glass frog with a Santa hat on it. The tiny glass frog was something that Karen and I just happened to pick up while on vacation.
Anyway, we were able to finish decorating the house for the holidays just in time for my BFF's (Kerry) holiday party that evening. For anyone curious, I suck at holiday parties.
This was the eighth annual holiday party that Kerry has hosted. If I had to guess, I would guess that her holiday party is one of the things that she looks forward to every year. Because of that fact, I have attended every single one of her holiday parties thus far, with the exception of one. (And for anyone curious, that exception happened to be a result of the party being scheduled on the birthday celebration of another friend.)
Shortly before the party, I received a call from my friend (Carlos). The Check Engine Light appeared in Carlos's car as he was coming back from the gym. Hesitant to continue driving the car, especially from Quincy to Salem where the party was being held, he asked for Kerry's number to notify her that he could not make the party. Naturally, I offered him a ride instead.
It was definitely good to see Carlos again. Prior to the week before at the Quincy parade, I had not seen Carlos since probably February. So it has been a long time. I thought the drive both to and from the party would be a nice way to catch up on things. And it was. Among the things that I do miss about working in downtown Boston is hanging out with Carlos. Hanging out with Aimee and Hot Amy are other things too that I miss. And of course, I also miss the food.
Anyway, the holiday party itself was an interesting time. I think a bunch of us got to learn some new friend facts. Granted, most of those facts centered around Kerry's friend (Steve). Steve was thought to be a long time Rhode Island resident, since that is how all of us came to know him (via Kerry and her connections to Rhode Island). It turns out, Steve is from Massachusetts.
Another random fact: Steve also scored a 1440 on his SAT scores. I happen to remember this fact only because immediately after he told everyone, I thought about my friend (Sam). Back in the day, Sam scored a 1300 on his SATs. And to make sure that everyone knew about this amazing feat, Sam kept his SAT results in his wallet. Sam would then promptly (and proudly) show anyone who asked about his results. Naturally, that led me to wonder if Steve did the same thing with his scores.
Karen and I had a nice time. I think it was good to get out of the house without our baby daughter (Briana). For sanity reasons, I think it's always good to do things without feeling handcuffed by your child.
Luckily, Kerry's adults only party provided the much needed relief. Interestingly enough, I think Karen and I may have been the only ones at the party who even had a child. Regardless, it was fun. As usual, it was good to hang out with friends at the party. Joining in on the festivities this year were our friends (Cass, Ellen, Marc, Kelley, Garv, Leeann, and Andrea). So all in all, it was a fun time.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
I Suck At Christmas
today is christmas. merry christmas everyone!
too bad i suck at christmas. i'm surprised i didn't get coal in my stocking because the holidays have definitely been tough this year. as an interesting side note, the whole "coal in the stocking" has some derivation in italian folklore with a character called la befana.
according to my friend wikipedia:
"Christian legend has it that La Befana was approached by the astrologers (the biblical three kings) a few days before Christ's birth. They asked for directions to where the Christ child was, but she did not know. She provided them with shelter for a night, as she was considered the best housekeeper in the village with the most pleasant home. They invited her to join them on the journey to find the Christ child, but she declined, stating she was too busy with her housework. Later, La Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out the astrologers and the Christ child. That night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana is searching for the Christ child. She leaves all the good children toys and candy, while the bad children get coal or bags of ashes."
it's obviously folklore because men would never ask for directions. just kidding.
anyway, karen and i started off our day with a visit to the cemetery to see our son (braden) who passed away three months ago. i wanted to get braden a little present this year, but unfortunately i could not find the right present. in my bouts of insanity, i might have to settle for what i call... a gnome protector... which is basically a gnome lawn ornament, placed on braden's marker... to watch and protect over him.
needless to say, it was a tough moment for me. it probably goes without saying that a few tears were shed. truth be told, i probably could have spent the entire day at the cemetery with my son and i would have been content.
from there, we headed to my favorite sister-in-law's (janine). janine usually hosts the family on christmas day. and by family, i mean karen's parents and grandparents. it was great to see my neice (kaleigh) and nephew (pj). they seemed very excited about today.
(the picture below is of a penguin.)
it so happens that this year was the year that karen and i saved... and ruined... christmas. kaleigh really wanted this particular toy that created cupcakes. the toy also decorated the cupcakes as well. kaleigh was slightly disappointed that santa did not give her that toy this morning. but lo' and behold, imagine her surprise when she unwrapped her present from her auntie and uncle. it was great watching the joy on her face when she opened her present. for that matter, it was equally enjoyable to watch pj open his present from us as well. (we got him a robot kit. pj loves robots.) yeah, we thought we were the cool aunt and uncle... until later when kaleigh had a little episode over the cupcake making/decorating toy. kaleigh was simply over tired... it is, after all, a lot of excitement in one day for a child.
anyway, from there karen and i went to my parents for dinner. i may have to figure out something for next year because there's just too much food to consume in a given day... between janine's and my parents'. nonetheless, it was nice to see my parents and my cousin (betty) and her son (marvin).
i even got a chance to speak with my brother on the phone to wish him merry christmas. (my brother lives in texas.) i don't know what it is. don't get me wrong, i love my brother. it just seems like i have nothing to talk to him about. our lives seem to be at vastly different points. i sometimes even think that he isn't quite sure about what to say to me because he is at a loss for words himself when it comes to his nephew, braden.
it's a bummer, i guess. i actually almost started to cry again when my mom gave me her present. my mom told karen and i that she wanted to get us something nice this year... but she didn't know what to get... so she gave us "lucky money", a tradition where cash is inserted in red envelopes. just the look in my mother's eyes of wanting to do more for karen and i got me a little choked up. i guess that is also why she sent us home with a lot of alcohol tonight... not that she wants us to drink ourselves silly... but because she just wants to give us something.
i don't know. all in all, it has been quite the emotional christmas for me. hopefully, next year will be a little more joyous. anyway, merry christmas everyone!
too bad i suck at christmas. i'm surprised i didn't get coal in my stocking because the holidays have definitely been tough this year. as an interesting side note, the whole "coal in the stocking" has some derivation in italian folklore with a character called la befana.
according to my friend wikipedia:
"Christian legend has it that La Befana was approached by the astrologers (the biblical three kings) a few days before Christ's birth. They asked for directions to where the Christ child was, but she did not know. She provided them with shelter for a night, as she was considered the best housekeeper in the village with the most pleasant home. They invited her to join them on the journey to find the Christ child, but she declined, stating she was too busy with her housework. Later, La Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out the astrologers and the Christ child. That night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana is searching for the Christ child. She leaves all the good children toys and candy, while the bad children get coal or bags of ashes."
it's obviously folklore because men would never ask for directions. just kidding.
anyway, karen and i started off our day with a visit to the cemetery to see our son (braden) who passed away three months ago. i wanted to get braden a little present this year, but unfortunately i could not find the right present. in my bouts of insanity, i might have to settle for what i call... a gnome protector... which is basically a gnome lawn ornament, placed on braden's marker... to watch and protect over him.
needless to say, it was a tough moment for me. it probably goes without saying that a few tears were shed. truth be told, i probably could have spent the entire day at the cemetery with my son and i would have been content.
from there, we headed to my favorite sister-in-law's (janine). janine usually hosts the family on christmas day. and by family, i mean karen's parents and grandparents. it was great to see my neice (kaleigh) and nephew (pj). they seemed very excited about today.
(the picture below is of a penguin.)
it so happens that this year was the year that karen and i saved... and ruined... christmas. kaleigh really wanted this particular toy that created cupcakes. the toy also decorated the cupcakes as well. kaleigh was slightly disappointed that santa did not give her that toy this morning. but lo' and behold, imagine her surprise when she unwrapped her present from her auntie and uncle. it was great watching the joy on her face when she opened her present. for that matter, it was equally enjoyable to watch pj open his present from us as well. (we got him a robot kit. pj loves robots.) yeah, we thought we were the cool aunt and uncle... until later when kaleigh had a little episode over the cupcake making/decorating toy. kaleigh was simply over tired... it is, after all, a lot of excitement in one day for a child.
anyway, from there karen and i went to my parents for dinner. i may have to figure out something for next year because there's just too much food to consume in a given day... between janine's and my parents'. nonetheless, it was nice to see my parents and my cousin (betty) and her son (marvin).
i even got a chance to speak with my brother on the phone to wish him merry christmas. (my brother lives in texas.) i don't know what it is. don't get me wrong, i love my brother. it just seems like i have nothing to talk to him about. our lives seem to be at vastly different points. i sometimes even think that he isn't quite sure about what to say to me because he is at a loss for words himself when it comes to his nephew, braden.
it's a bummer, i guess. i actually almost started to cry again when my mom gave me her present. my mom told karen and i that she wanted to get us something nice this year... but she didn't know what to get... so she gave us "lucky money", a tradition where cash is inserted in red envelopes. just the look in my mother's eyes of wanting to do more for karen and i got me a little choked up. i guess that is also why she sent us home with a lot of alcohol tonight... not that she wants us to drink ourselves silly... but because she just wants to give us something.
i don't know. all in all, it has been quite the emotional christmas for me. hopefully, next year will be a little more joyous. anyway, merry christmas everyone!
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