The Big Day

Christmas came and went, and now we rest.

As always, I hoped that I would be able to sleep on Christmas Eve. This year, though, I actually managed to do it! I slept most of the night, instead of counting the hours. I think that happened because we didn't open presents immediately in the morning. My siblings weren't coming over until later in the morning, so there was no reason to be anxious.

They arrived around 10:30 and we filled our family room with gifts, wrapping paper and bows. My niece got some nice kid furniture. I got a new memory card for my camera, a new ornament, cash, candy, DVDs and an external hard drive. After that mayhem, there was time to prepare and relax before the rest of our family arrived. We did things later than usual. People started arriving at 2:30. Until that time, I spent the hours watching the Mythbusters marathon and wondering what VH1's number one toy of all time would be. My mom and I tried to figure it out, and we disagree with the choice - hula hoop.

Most of the rest of the family arrived around the same time. Our dog was shy and spent most of the day wandering underneath the tables. Our cat Iggy, on the other hand, took the opportunity to get some attention!

We did our gift exchange before eating. It seemed a bit smaller than usual - fewer presents. That's perfectly fine, because I seriously doubt that my grandparents really need all the items they typically receive each year. After a point, it's only stuff, you know? I tried to take as many photos as I could, but inside photography is not my strength. It's hard to get good pictures of people opening gifts.

Not long after that, it was time to eat. What a feast! My dad cooked a turkey and prime rib. My grandmother made her traditional crescent rolls. Everyone enjoyed my mom's homemade punch.

Lastly, the desserts! There were far too many things to eat - two kinds of fudge, a half-dozen types of cookies, my mom's famous mint brownies, and much more. It was a "take a little of everything" situation. Of course, I took some good pictures of the goodies. Those will be posted at a later time.

I had a very good, although very tiring, Christmas. I can't believe I slept on Christmas Eve! I have fully entered adulthood.