Christmas Day in Photos

[whispers: I've got a house full of company.  We just finished a giant roast beef dinner with 11, and now more people are arriving for the Last Game Night Of The Year.  But I'm feeling antisocial right now, so I'm hiding.  I've just given the kids glow-sticks, and they're all piled into the bathroom-without-a-window, so they can glow at each other in the dark, and I'm pretending that I'm "in charge" of them, while the adults swarm around in the other room]

Here's Christmas Day.

After the late night shenanigans of Christmas Eve, there was much sleeping-in to be done.

In fact, we might still all be sleeping if my best friend (4 time zones later than me) hadn't phoned to wish us a Merry Christmas.  She sounded all spent, having been up off and on since 3:30 in the morning with kids who wondered if "it was time yet".  I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was the only one up, and the kids probably wouldn't be thinking about heading to the presents until close to 9am or 9:30.

But then Nate started getting active.  And he was ALL about the stockings.

So for an hour, it was just him and me, hanging out with the stockings.

"I am getting so excited, I can't stand it!"

(his stocking is the Charlie Brown one.  It's already starting to disgorge its contents a bit)

"They better wake up, or I'll have ALLLLLL the stockings for ME!"


But slowly the sleepers awoke.

First Kelly, and then Skip...


Eventually, Ken even shuffled downstairs, by which time the kids had stationed themselves in the front room by the tree, so they brought him his stocking and he opened his stocking while they drooled over the present overload under the tree.


See his feet?  I made him red wool socks, and stuffed them into the toe of his stocking.  They're MILES too big, but was my plan to make them too big, and then FELT THEM to fit his feet.

Because I rock.

Look!  Nate had socks in his stocking, too!  And Kelly gave him that penguin.  He's COMPLETELY penguin obsessed.


Before presents, we read the Christmas story...er... stories.

First Kelly and Nate read "B is for Bethlehem".  Nate needed a bit of help with some of the words.  OK, with a lot of the words...


Then Skip read "This is the Star".  He reads it every year.

Yikes, I'm still getting used to that haircut.

Then it was time for the presents to come out.

Skip had gotten the Littles "Puffles" for Christmas.  He wanted them to open his gifts first off, and it was hilarious, because nobody wanted to open anything else, once the puffles came out of the wrappers.



Mommy actually got surprised this year.  Here's my fabulous over-the-top cream leather with taupe suede interior jewelry box.  Oh, and I'm not giving you the finger.  I'm holding the key.  It's teeny-tiny.


The kids get to open lots of gifts.  But that's because we wrap stuff like individual socks, underwear, and candy bars.
(Everything for Skip was wrapped in Sock Monkey paper)

I got Ken the old Kung Fu series from the 70s.  Apparently, that was one of his most favouritest things to watch when he was a kid.


And then it was time for Skip to open his Big Gift.

We'd been teasing him for weeks that it was almost time for him to start using deodorant.  And how it was important for him to be in the routine of pit-sticking before those pesky armpit hairs started making an appearance.  And then, when he'd ask for hints about his "Big Gift", we'd say things like 'it has an R in it.... like deodoRRRRRant"

So, to the "Big Gift"

Hmm. 
Looks like deodorant....
Feels like deodorant....
Smells like deodorant...



WHAT????

It *IS* deodorant!


Oh, what's this?  I have to USE IT???????
Oh!  The indignity!


Wait a minute.... what's this?  A note inside the lid....?

Look in the coat closet????


Nate loved his "Big Gift", too.

As did the siblings...


And Kelly?  When it was her turn?

OoH!  For MEEEEE?



Here, Kelly, let me see it, and I'll figure out how to play it so I can teach you...


Oh good.  You got her a book, too.  I'll just read it through really quickly, and become an expert...


And while we all laughed at the bravado, we were taking back any jokes when he was playing like a pro within a half hour.

The kid is scary-fast.


After the present carnage had abated somewhat, Ken and Kelly put together an apple and blackberry pie to take to Ken's uncle's place for supper.

It was nice not having to cook AGAIN.

And look!  They bought their grandsons a drum kit!  A little bit of payback for the neighbours who had played the drums until all hours for the last 10 years...



I think I know what will be going on Nate's wish list next year.  Too bad, so sad.  Nobody's going to be making drums in 2008....



Back home after supper, Kelly put on her new nightshirt, (hooray!  It fit!) and gathered her beloved puffles to herself before heading off to bed.




And what's this?



Remind me again... WHO did we buy the flute for?