Tis the Season – 2008
Well, this holiday was certainly an eventful one… but, in retrospect, I guess I say that every year.
This year, I managed to get all of the shopping done weeks in advance. So, I was able to miss the majority of the consumer chaos that usually drains my holiday spirit. Thank you lego.com and amazon.com for letting me do most of my shopping from the peacefulness of my own home.
Luke and I both had off work for Christmas Eve and decided to spend a quiet night at home. My mom joined us, but my poor dad ended up having to work. I stopped by Walgreens to see him that afternoon and really couldn't believe all of the last minute shoppers hoarding every cheap toy and tinsel decoration they could find. That's kind of pathetic if you think about it.
For dinner that night, I decided to do something a little different. With the oven still slightly broken, we went with an appetizer themed evening. I picked up some wings from Hooters, made some stuffed mushrooms and cheese puffs and then completed the spread with yummy snacks such as veges with dip, chips with salsa and a cheese platter. Mmmm, how I love cheese platters! Overall, I was really pleased with how filling and yet totally unhealthy the fare turned out to be.
We told Aidan he could open his presents from us that evening, so he was all too eager to finish up dinner and get to the good stuff. We let him open up his Star Wars Lightsaber Duels Wii game earlier that day, and the poor little guy played so much he couldn't pull his pants down to go potty because his hands were so sore. He seemed pretty satisfied with his loot, which included a couple of Lego kits, a Lego watch and some books.
After putting the gingerbread man out that Aidan had decorated for Santa and checking on NORAD to see what Santa was up to, it still didn't hit home with Aidan that the big guy was supposed to visit our house that night. When we put him to bed and mentioned something again, he said "That’s TONIGHT?”
Of course, he woke up at 4am wanting to know if it is was time and then again at 5am. After telling him he had to wait for light to come through the window, I finally heard his tiny footsteps creeping through the house around 7am. After a moment of silence, I heard… "Mom, Santa left me extra. I must have been really good this year". Yes, Santa couldn't help himself and got Aidan a few more things than he had asked for. He scored a few Lego kits, a gecko Webkin, Crocs, Zoobs, more books and some pajamas and underwear that he didn't even complain about.
That day, Luke's mom and her new friend Gary came over and my parents joined us around 3pm after my dad had gotten off work. The "pot luck" dinner theme worked out well again, just as it had for Thanksgiving. Luke's mom brought pirogues and cabbage rolls,
So, as we predicted, the rest of the day was spent with Luke and Aidan assembling Lego kits and playing video games. It was a relaxing and altogether pretty awesome holiday!
Oh, and I do need to send out special thanks to the folks for respecting our request to keep presents targeted towards Aidan and at a minimum. Luke and I had agreed a few years back that it doesn't make sense to go out and spend a lot of $$ on things for other people that don't really need anything (that includes ourselves). Instead, we started spending the money on toys to donate. If Christmas is about anything for us, it's about enjoying time with your family and friends and making kids happy. That objective was certainly achieved this year!
As we await the expected changes that will follow in 2009, we're also savoring the last few days of the year. In fact, Luke and Aidan are enjoying themselves at the park right now, and there are more plans for Lego assembly and video game playing later this afternoon. Life is pretty good…
Related Posts:
- Lego Mania – Christmas 2008
Season’s Greetings
Season’s Greetings
Christmas 2009
Labor Day Weekend 2009
