many people we had in the house. I think it was 26. Nate and Sabrina weren't able to stay long (this will happen as one's children turn into adults...) so I grabbed a moment before dinner to take a group picture... or two.
It was a nice day even though I didn't find time to clean the house ahead of the party. Nobody cared or noticed anyway and I didn't have to stress at all over the mess. I guess there is a plus to everything.
We had more food to eat than we needed. Plenty of lasagna, heaps of salad, and enough cookies and junk to please any crowd. Dave and Leta brought cheese and crackers and I abandoned my gluten-free diet for the holidays. It will be my New Year's resolution, as usual, to clean up my act and feast upon salad and all stuff nutritious.
This past year gave us two new family members, Simon and Sabrina. Simon came to us in April and is a treasure. Rachel took some pictures of him giving me kisses, which I soaked up nicely. I do love baby kisses and he gives some good ones!
Sabrina will become an official family member next October when she and Nathan get married. They spend most of their time with her family at present, but maybe we can remedy that in the future. ;) We were blessed to have them for the time they were available and hope to include them in more of the festivities next year, even if I have to twist some arms.
James and I kept our gift giving simple this year, some of necessity and some because we simply ran out of time. We did, however, manage to have a great family grab bag type gift exchange. It has become one of the highlights of the day and I think we are getting better at it as the years go by. I found the gift aisle at the local drug store to be a great source of fun and interesting gifts.
The fish aquarium lamp was popular and switched owners several times before landing in Audra's lap. The barking clock, which I found amusing, was the first opened and remained in Alicia's possession the entire time. Oreos, bags of candy, and popcorn also appear to be coveted items. Josh, who chose for Adam, had his eyes set on a pair of Sponge Bob hot cocoa mugs much to his mother's dismay. I was pleased to see her find it amusing in spite of her distaste for the cartoon character. Josiah had his gifts stolen time after time before finally ending up with a cappuccino gift set which satisfied him well. I hope they are as good as they looked!
It was a wonderful day. Though I always find myself stressed and feeling unprepared, the day always turns out fun and special despite my mostly imagined shortcomings. I love having my family around and Christmas is a great time to fill up the house and spend the day together. Too bad the other part of my family, a gift to me from My Darling so many years ago, is so far away. I always miss them at Christmas time. Too bad also that I forgot to set out the toffee. Well, maybe it's good for Jim.
It was lots of fun! Thanks so much for having us. I love being together too. Michael enjoyed some time with his cousins, playing games and doing Mad Libs. :)
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I enjoy the barking dog clock much more than I knew I would. It barks faithfully on the hour...which should be in about 3 minutes!
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