Christmas Recap

Christmas has come and gone, and we are barreling toward 2012. How is that even possible? Wasn't I *just* in Hawaii the other day?!

I suppose you could say our Christmas season began on Thanksgiving. That's when I dragged all the Christmas stuff out of the attic, discovered we did not have a single full, working strand of lights for the outside bushes, and trekked out to Wal-Mart, which for some strange reason is OPEN on Thanksgiving Day. Over the course of the weekend -- in between the kids' hockey games -- I decorated the house.

The following Friday was my company's holiday party. Hubby and I got all fancied up and made the marathon drive -- on a work night -- to Greenbelt, MD for a very nice shindig. Alas, neither of us won the ginornous flat screen TV or the game system or any of the other gadgets that were given away. But we had a good time, and the food is always good. :)

I did most of my shopping in the month of December this year. How unlike me. I have discovered Amazon Prime, which I highly recommend! My 30-day free trial is about over, but I think I will be paying the annual fee. SO worth it!

We took a break from holiday stuff to go to Lake Placid the second weekend of the month with Keeper Boy's hockey team. What a fabulous trip to a small town with such a history. I think its entire identity revolves around the events of February 22, 1980, but that's okay. We had a blast -- even though we rode up and back on a bus with a hockey team of 13 and 14 year olds.

Gma G arrived on the 22nd. By then we were all done with our shopping, and the cookies were all baked. Gma G and I attended the Grandparents Day Sing-a-Long at J-Mav's school. That day also signaled the beginning of the boys' break from school. And our cousin K and her new hubby arrived for an overnight stop before heading to the airport the next morning for their honeymoon. It was a fun evening!

On the 23rd, Hubby and I worked, and Gma G and the boys hung out, shopped, and wrapped gifts. We celebrated Gma G's birthday that evening (a few days early because she actually flew home on her birthday).

On the 24th we all got up early and drove up to PA for my family's annual Christmas Eve dinner. It was the first time Gma G had been to my parents' new home, the first time my family had all been together since my grandfather died, and the first time we got K-dog to successfully use the steps I bought her to get into and out of the truck (what a show). We arrived around 10am and were able to visit with our niece and her mom before the rest of the family showed up. That was nice. We had a great day... always lots of laughs. And we were back home by about 8pm. There was work to do. We put out cookies and milk for Santa, got the kids in bed, and did what needed to be done.

We managed to hold the kids off until 8am on Christmas morning. Then they opened stockings and we had some breakfast before my parents arrived. Once they arrived and brought their gifts in, the chaos ensued. We opened gifts for about two hours. Lots of awesome stuff all around. Then we had a relaxing day of games, food (steak, gourmet potatoes, garlic sauteed spinach...), and family. It was awesome to have all three grandparents here at the same time as it was the first time in many years that that happened. We talked to Uncle Hooter and Jenrie and kids in Hawaii a few times on FaceTime, as well as my aunt, uncle, and cousins in PA (love that iTechnology).

The day after Christmas was all hockey. Tournaments for each of the kids... at two different rinks.

And Gma G flew home on the 27th. It seemed like a short visit. My parents left last night. Their visit seemed short, too. It was nice to have everyone here, and we are looking forward to my parents coming back at the end of January and Gma G coming back at the end of March before she and Keeper Boy leave on their European adventure!

Hubby and I have returned to work, although I worked from home today and will do so again tomorrow. Cousin K and her hubby return to town tomorrow and will stay with us tomorrow night before heading out. And then we have a New Year's Eve party to attend, as well as a Winter Classic Party on Monday. And then I guess it's back to normal life as hockey craziness will resume.

But I can hold on to Christmas by a thread for as long as I have the tree up and decorated. Maybe a couple more weeks. Or maybe I can just take the Christmas decorations off and put hearts on it... then shamrocks... then eggs...