I've got your Holly Jolly right here

So at last on New Year's Eve, I am prepared to share with you the highlights of Christmas 2009. On a completely unrelated note, why were the past ten years referred to as "two thousand xx"", while the next ninety or so will be "twentyxx"? As if I really needed one more thing to be confused about.

Moving on, or back, to Christmas eve. Chase was extremely excited for the holiday to start. He was just a little bundle of ecstatic energy running all over the house. January will be quite the let down after an entire month of presents, family and Disney. I think it's the perfect time to use up some of those leave days that I have been saving. What? Mamas don't get personal days? I'm so reporting this to my union.
I put Grandma to work making gravy to go with the turkey that I made for dinner. I don't eat gravy, so I never remember to plan for it. I am very egocentric you see.

EVOOwhat? No we use Vegetable oil around these parts.

Amaya seemed to enjoy her dinner though Drew probably found it somewhat labor intensive to eat with a toddler on his lap.
I wanted a record of everyone's full belly satisfied faces so that if anyone ever tried to say that I didn't feed them I could show them proof to the contrary. This came in handy Christmas evening when the words "Fend for yourselves" sprang from my lips. Always pays to think ahead.



Annual by the tree picture minus Drew. Not sure where he had disappeared to, but the kids had too many ants in their pants to sit still long enough to wait for him. Maybe next year.
Cookie for Santa.
Amaya brought Santa's cookie over to me to try to convince me that she needed to taste test it before the old man had access to it. Something about high cholesterol, obesity and heart attacks.
Santa came! Santa came!
Really cool icicles on the tree outside. Probably killing it, but still really cool to see.
My sad outdoor lighting scheme. I wanted to put lights on all of the front bushes, but when I went to Target December 5, the only colors that were left were blue and red. Apparently if you don't buy these things by September 15th, you're out of luck. I've written a note to myself on my twentyten calender to purchase these in July. Chew on that you retail holiday rushers.

Christmas morning. Those PJs I'm wearing were from Gap, and were so comfy that I stayed in them all day. I smelled as fresh as a field of wildflowers on a spring day and don't let anyone tell you any different.


Chase's big gift was a scooter. He loves it. I wonder how long it will take for Iverson to find his Christmas present..
Not long at all.
Amaya was a bit overwhelmed by the whole event. She kept pointing and oohing and ahhing.
Chase played Santa's helper.
Until he found his stocking. He was very absorbed by that sock for the longest time.
Amaya pretty much gave up on unwrapping her presents after the first one. Santa is apparently aware that his diet needs some work because he only ate half of the cookie the kids left for him. Fear not, for Amaya quickly swooped in and finished off the remains for him. Thoughtful.
The rest of the day was filled with enjoying presents, eating ham, and lounging around the house like slugs. The merriest of Christmases.

The aftermath:
Yes, very merry indeed.