Blog: Special Christmas Edition

So yesterday I flew into Vegas at 11:35 a.m. I was supposed to be there at 10:00, but the plane was delayed for unknown reasons. I wonder if there was a bomb threat...nah. That would be way too cool to actually happen. I had downloaded a tv episode on my laptop for the flight because I hate just sitting for an hour, and I'd packed up all my books, but as soon as I got onto the plane, I fell asleep. I woke up when the plane skidded to a stop at McCarran Airport. I guess I shouldn't have stayed up so late the night before.

Then I had a delightful lunch in my dad's office. This year for Christmas we were supposed to make something for the person whose name we drew out of a hat, so my dad was carving a Welsh love spoon for my mom. He was on his fifth attempt, and his hands were covered in callouses and scabs while his desk was littered with tools and sawdust. He isn't the absolute best master woodsmith in the country, but he gets an A+ for sentiment.

As soon as I got home from the airport, my mom sent me out to pick up foodstuffs for Christmas Eve. Oh, and I needed to buy a white elephant gift. Have you SEEN Target on Christmas Eve? Holy cow, was it crowded. But I enjoyed the noise, panic, crowds, and desperation. I kind of like to be in the middle of a big fat mess as the only one with a calm disposition. It makes me feel kind of powerful.

Then Christmas Eve happened: we did our games and opened our small gifts and ate our food. My sister needed help wrapping presents, so afterwards I went to her house with three of my other sisters, but I don't think I was much help. I put her children to bed and told them a story (they like to decide what characters they'd like to be in the story--it's a big hit). As soon as the story was finished, I lay down for just a moment. I woke up at 7:00 this morning. Whoops. More tired than I thought.

Anyway, Christmas was great, I took tons of family pictures, and I loved being around the noise and the crowd and the laughter. And I'm a little tired again. My sister invited me to stay with her and her fiance for this next month to help them out with their business. I could use the work, and they do live in Arizona where it's still warm...hmm. Something to think about over the next day or so. My sister is playing Christmas music on the piano downstairs and my nephew Chris is showing me all the notes he learned on his new guitar. I love my family.

Merry Christmas, everyone.