December (III)

Christmas morning was wonderful, of course. After hearing Skeeter brag about getting into the living room last year before we got up, I maneuvered our large kitchen island to block off the hallway next to their room. The only way they could get to the den was thorough our bedroom. They were mad as hornets, but waited for us to get ready.

Only Squealer cut through our room and made it into the den. He didn’t go for his presents, rather he headed for the leftover Santa cookies and, ignoring their evidence of Santa’s visit, consumed them immediately.

We then brought in the girls, to the attendant oohs and ahhas. I then read them the nativity account from Luke’s gospel while they acted out the part with Squealer’s Fisher-Price Nativity set (courtesy of PoMonkey and Mr. Ginger). Next year we might just show them the Lego Nativity story.


We all opened our gifts. I received a dozen pairs of socks and now feel very much old. First, because I received the socks, and second, because my first thought was “Gee, what neat socks!!” Kadie also set me up with an MP3 player which will provide the grist for a future blog entry.

Kadie received two pairs of earrings and a necklace. Scooter received, as per her request, a fuzzy pair of boots. Skeeter got blue crocs and assorted clothes. Squealer received a collection of wooden blocks and a tin of Lincoln logs. (When I purchased them, the check-out teenager said “Well, we’re going old school this Christmas aren’t we! Ha Ha Ha”. I struck him with my cane.)

We quickly unwrapped the gifts and then continued to work on lunch. We had over my parents and brother Miguelito, Kadie’s sister PTGirl and our niece. In addition, we had Bartolo and Bonita, my brother and sister-in-law. In addition to all of this family, we also had four people from our church and a coworker from the university who didn’t really have anywhere else to go on Christmas.

This did mean the odd experience of having my worlds collide to some degree. I always wonder, to how Work Taran, Family Taran and Church Taran will interact. But all was well.