Kid and Caboodle

Technically I received a Wii gaming system for Christmas. It was supposed to be a fun way for me to get exercise. In reality, I have spent about 20 minutes using it, hurting my finger in the process. In contrast, A.J. and Chris have spent the last few days playing with it. I guess the Wii was really a gift for the household!

Oh well. Technically I gave Chris a Kindle for Christmas, but so far I’ve spent more time using it than he has!

For Christmas this year, my mother-in-law gave me some figurines of animals that look like they’ve been made of fruit or vegetables. I decided to have a little fun with one set:

Clementine and Squirt play hide-and-seek.

Christmas dinner this afternoon consisted of:

• turkey (cooked by Chris’ mother, Dee, and stepdad, Mike)
  
• ham (from Giant, arranged by me)
  
• deviled eggs (made by Dee)
  
• bacon-wrapped scallops (from Giant, prepared by me)
  
• broccoli-cheese casserole (made by me)
  
• carrot-raisin salad (made by Dee)
  
• tossed green salad of spinach, bell peppers and cucumbers (assembled by me)
  
• fruit salad of blueberries, bananas, an apple, clementines, oranges and fruit cocktail in syrup (assembled by Dee)
  
• stuffing (made by me)
  
• gravy (made by Dee and Mike)
  
• cranberry sauce (removed from can by me)
  
• pumpkin-nut cake (made by Chris’ sister, Jennifer)
  
• leftover chocolate mousse birthday cake (from Costco)
  
• cookies (made by Jennifer)

We had 10 people at dinner: Chris, A.J., and I; my parents; Chris’ dad; Chris’ mom and stepdad; and Chris’ sister and her boyfriend. I had to ask my parents to bring a folding table and chairs so everyone could sit down for dinner, and we had to scramble to get enough plates and cutlery! I think this is the most I’ve ever hosted for Christmas, but I think it turned out well. The large amounts of alcohol at dinner didn’t hurt, either!

This Thursday, Christmas Eve, I am thankful for my family and this wonderful time of year. Happy holidays to all.

Mike, Dee, A.J. and Chris playing Blokus Trigon

A.J.'s offering for Santa and his reindeer