We’re out in South Dakota for our first leg of the Christmas journey this year. We were able to avoid the oncoming blizzard (which never really came) on Friday afternoon, so we made it out in time for supper last night. Then we did something this morning that I’d never done before – had a gift opening begin at 8am.
With all of the kids and grandkids huddled in the living room, and most in their clothes from yesterday or pajamas, we opened gifts among the family. Katie got a little laptop computer, some pajamas and a Princess coloring platform where you can draw pictures based on a projected image. She found that to be the coolest present. Amelia got a little laptop computer, some pajamas, and 2 dolls which she immediately fell in love with. She started pushing them around the house throughout the day. Becky got several sweaters/shirts that she liked, and I got a poker table (which I’ve wanted for a while) and a black filing cabinet to fit in my new, super-hip office.
The afternoon was pretty low-key – the barbershop erupted in the kitchen where all the women except Katie (including both Becky and Amelia) got their hair cut, colored or both. I mostly chased the kids around with a rope hoping to tie them up and leave them in a dark room (I was just pretending to tie them up). Brandon splurged on a prime rib, so we had that plus shrimp for supper. It was definitely a high-class supper. Of course, Amelia and Katie ate potatoes and mac & cheese. Katie made it through the day without a nap, which is nice in that she goes to bed earlier, but it also guarantees a meltdown or two ’round about supper time. Today was no different there.
We’ll probably head home late tomorrow night so we can have our own family Christmas on Monday morning before we head down to my parents for gift opening on Christmas day. It’s a fun time of year and a lot of fun to see our kids play with their cousins and have a good time.
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