The Christmas Season Continues

This year there were many reasons Christmas was different from other years. I will not accrue vacation at my new job until May, and Heather is not allowed vacation during the holidays since she is working retail again, so we could not go out of town to visit my family for the holidays. My family was understanding, and came up to our place to celebrate Christmas instead.

It was no surprise that their poor car was loaded to the gills with toys and desserts. There was only a 4 inch square volume remaining in the trunk, and the cab appeared ready to explode, leaving very little space for the vehicle's three very cramped occupants. It could rightly be said that Heather's family brought half of Toy's R Us on Christmas Day, and my family brought the other half in their Toyota. Dad beamed with pride at his insane space utilization skills! Both families get a giant gold Christmas star for kid spoiling.

We had a lot of fun getting together, celebrating, eating, opening gifts, and eating. There were as many desserts as presents for the kids, which meant that the weekend activities and everyone's tummy's were beyond capacity. Sara and Mom love to bake and are always one step beyond overboard when preparing the dessert menu. We had everything from gingerbread, to pie, to two types of fudge. Norah even sampled the gingerbread cookies, but adopted the unorthodox method of shredding her poor little gingerbread man to a fine powder before consumption.

Norah squealed with delight at each new toy whether it was hers or not, and Justin gave his best effort to eat the wrapping paper whether it was his or not. We all participated in the customary assembly line that accompanies the phrase "some assembly required", and Mom and Dad kept the Duracel company in business for one more year with a generous gift of batteries to accompany the noise-makers. Smiles and pictures were plentiful, and more pictures were made possible since Mom & Dad gave us a new camera for Christmas. If only I had any talent for picture composition, we might have more pictures that are not shot in profile, or at the back's of people's heads.
Justin enjoyed the family Christmas gathering as there were more loving arms to hold him, and Norah took full advantage of the extra attention, although strangely, she still seems to be boycotting both her Grandpa's, and normally makes a wide loop to avoid them. Both Grandpa's are pretty good sports about the whole thing, knowing that once the hugs come, they will be worth the wait.