The Christmas that was . . .

Well, it's over. Months of shopping clearance isles, months or hoarding gifts in the attic, months of listening to "Mommy! Put that on my Christmas list!!" and weeks of hearing how much my children want a "snuggie" and it is over. I always worry about the kids. Will they be happy? Will they be disappointed? Will they compare gifts and prices? It is stressful. I'm secretly glad it's over.

The kids of course are never disappointed. They love the surprise, the unwrapping, and the putting-together-of-the-stuff. I love watching their eyes light up. I love the wonder, the awe and the excitement. I detest the wrapping and the cleaning up of hundreds of tiny scraps of decimated santa and frosty paper bodies.

My mom, stepdad and brother came over Christmas eve. We eat a small dinner and treats. My mom decided it would be fun to tell the kids that Santa was doing a "fly-by" and putting the gifts in her van while we were eating so that we could eat without them asking 560 times if they could open presents. She made this big productions of hearing reindeer bells and looking out the back door for Santa while my bother and stepdad went out the front door to get the gifts. It was cute. While the kids were upwrapping the gifts in a frenzy, my mom said to the adults, "All that time and energy it took for me to wrap and it's done in a half hour". About 30 minutes later Harrison said, "Nanny, you said you wrapped the presents. Santa didn't bring the presents, you revealed the secret! These presents are from you!" It was darling! The other highlight of the night was when Harrison opened lightbulbs. He said, "Santa gave me lightbulbs?!" You see, he likes to read in bed so my mom bought him a clip light and lightbulbs, but he opened the lightbulbs first. It was too funny! Dustin's favorite gift was Pringles and McCartney loved a Barbie and Barbie car.

Christmas morning they opened the "real gifts" from Santa. Harrison got a Nintendo DS finally and McCartney LOVES her Hannah Montana CD player. Dusitn got clothes, a few toys and more food. He loves food! We went over to my uncle and aunts for my lunch with my mom'sside of the family. We still have Christmas with my step dad's family on New Years Day and my mom and stepdads house with my siblings on January 3rd. Shoo, we won't actually be done for some time!

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Tonight I was so bored that I went to Meijer (a everything-in-one-place regional chain). My mom happens to live nearby, so she went with me. I was walking around when I went down a craft isle. I am not too crafty. I can sew. I like to paint things. But, I am not patient enough for most crafts, especially scrapbooking. I decided to buy a crochet needle. I have never crocheted, so I also bought a book called, "I Taught Myself to Crochet".


My mom always crocheted when I was little and tried to teach me a little when I dropped her off at her house. I could NOT get it. My brother was laughing at how terribly badly I was doing. I decided to go home and try out the book. Yeah. Apparently they taught themselves how to crochet because the book is utterly useless.

I started over about 300 times, but know I think I get the hang of the stitch my mom was teaching me. I have no idea if it is right or if it is even a stitch, but it looks remotely like crocheting.

We shall see.

I am returning the book!