"That's the Thpirit of the Grithwald Family Chrithmas..."
Ah...that's my all time favorite Christmas movie: Christmas Vacation... Great lines, like "I can't swim, Clark," "I know that, Eddie." -or- "We needed a coffin...er, um...I mean..a tree...there are no lots open on Christmas eve, so...voila..." Only problem is, I haven't actually seen the movie this year...
Spent all week prepping for the arrival of the family...lots and lots of last-minute cleaning, which has been tough since Stacey and I have BOTH been sick over the past 2 weeks (throw in a big Christmas program at church, and where does the time go??). My brother and parents arrived (separately) yesterday afternoon around 2:00. Got them settled in, went out for a last-minute grocery run, then headed to the church for Crosspoint's first-ever Christmas Eve service. I liked it a lot, because it was VERY different from anything I'm used to. Lots of candles, incense burning...music courtesy myself and Matthew Rose (on the new Roland, no less)...people came and went as they felt led. I hope more people engage the program next year. I found it to be a great way to focus amidst all the hecticness I found myself caught up in this week. In the past, Christmas has been one of those times of the year when I've been able to experience Christ in a "refreshing" way. However, in the past few years, that "experience" has slacked... But the quiet, personal nature of the program last night was a much-needed thing for me. Even now, I'm trying to think of ways to create that kind of environment for other times of the year...
Afterwards, I went home...had a late dinner with Stacey, Kailyn, and my family... Then it was onto the joy of wrapping last-minute gifts and assembling Kailyn's Christmas presents! Stacey and I got Kailyn - among other things - a Little Tikes "car" that she can sit in and ride around...it was a pain to assemble, but it came together okay. Also got her a kid-sized table and chairs, so we assembled that. My parents got her a pretty cool wagon (even has cup holders and a cooler onboard...LOL)...so we assembled that, too. Then went to bed feeling pretty lousy...my fever returned, and my ears were so clogged up with "gunk" that I couldn't stand it.
But, in spite of the mess, stress, and lingering sickness of Christmas 2003, it's not been bad at all. This was the first Christmas that Kailyn seemed to enjoy (it IS only her second one, after all). We got her up this morning, and she wandered into the living room...her eyes got HUGE as she noticed all the toys and presents around the tree. That made the late night assembly of her toys (last night) all worth it.
She immediately became attached to the car, which she opted to stay in and out of the whole day. She also became attached to a fake cell phone that my brother got her. On top of the already-mentioned gifts, my parents her a got a Hokey Pokey Elmo (yes, an obnoxious, but cute, noisemaker).
My family and I exchanged gifts, so in the childhood tradition of "guess what I got," here's what we all exchanged. My parents gave Stacey and I some much-needed bath towels, a nice can opener, some clothes, and a keyboard for my Palm Zire 71. I gave Stacey a Dell Axim X3i, which she can really use at work (there's a lot of very good pharmacy-related software available for Pocket PC's. We gave my parents some picture frames and an outdoor low-voltage lighting system for their house in Stone Mountain. Stacey's gift to me was my Roland Fantom - and that may cover my NEXT Christmas gift and birthdays as well...d'oh.
We prepped and ate a (late) Christmas Dinner around 4:00...but it was VERY good. Then I crashed for a much-needed nap. Dana came by this evening and dropped off a couple of presents for Kailyn from her family and Andy and Dixie. Shortly after that, J-mo dropped by, and we laughed at my usual kitchen clumsiness and drank homemade mudslides (which turned out VERY good, considering it was my first attempt at making such a thing).
Now, I'm at the PC while my WIRED 17-month-old is walking all over the house. Was I like that on Christmas when I was a kid? She had a very good day today... Seeing her have such an exciting day was so much more important than all the gifts and good food. Up until today, I've been bummed (for years) that I'm no longer a kid at Christmas. But Kailyn's joy today was very contagious, and I may actually enjoy being the parent of a child at Christmas more than I miss being a kid myself (Shhh...don't tell anyone...my parenthood "geek" is showing...again).
Anyway...Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night. Peace.
KEY PHRASES: "Is that wagon supposed to look like a ferris wheel?" "Wow, we almost had a major catastrophe at church...yikes" (noted when Dave realized that some of the candles had "melted" the plastic stands they were sitting on. nearly causing a "fire"). "Matthew, where's your family?" "I don't know...they left me all alone up here..." "Crap, no crabs this week." "It's the chocolate syrup that makes the 'mud.'" Kailyn: "Move!" (yes, she actually told Stacey to 'move' earlier).
Spent all week prepping for the arrival of the family...lots and lots of last-minute cleaning, which has been tough since Stacey and I have BOTH been sick over the past 2 weeks (throw in a big Christmas program at church, and where does the time go??). My brother and parents arrived (separately) yesterday afternoon around 2:00. Got them settled in, went out for a last-minute grocery run, then headed to the church for Crosspoint's first-ever Christmas Eve service. I liked it a lot, because it was VERY different from anything I'm used to. Lots of candles, incense burning...music courtesy myself and Matthew Rose (on the new Roland, no less)...people came and went as they felt led. I hope more people engage the program next year. I found it to be a great way to focus amidst all the hecticness I found myself caught up in this week. In the past, Christmas has been one of those times of the year when I've been able to experience Christ in a "refreshing" way. However, in the past few years, that "experience" has slacked... But the quiet, personal nature of the program last night was a much-needed thing for me. Even now, I'm trying to think of ways to create that kind of environment for other times of the year...
Afterwards, I went home...had a late dinner with Stacey, Kailyn, and my family... Then it was onto the joy of wrapping last-minute gifts and assembling Kailyn's Christmas presents! Stacey and I got Kailyn - among other things - a Little Tikes "car" that she can sit in and ride around...it was a pain to assemble, but it came together okay. Also got her a kid-sized table and chairs, so we assembled that. My parents got her a pretty cool wagon (even has cup holders and a cooler onboard...LOL)...so we assembled that, too. Then went to bed feeling pretty lousy...my fever returned, and my ears were so clogged up with "gunk" that I couldn't stand it.
But, in spite of the mess, stress, and lingering sickness of Christmas 2003, it's not been bad at all. This was the first Christmas that Kailyn seemed to enjoy (it IS only her second one, after all). We got her up this morning, and she wandered into the living room...her eyes got HUGE as she noticed all the toys and presents around the tree. That made the late night assembly of her toys (last night) all worth it.
She immediately became attached to the car, which she opted to stay in and out of the whole day. She also became attached to a fake cell phone that my brother got her. On top of the already-mentioned gifts, my parents her a got a Hokey Pokey Elmo (yes, an obnoxious, but cute, noisemaker).
My family and I exchanged gifts, so in the childhood tradition of "guess what I got," here's what we all exchanged. My parents gave Stacey and I some much-needed bath towels, a nice can opener, some clothes, and a keyboard for my Palm Zire 71. I gave Stacey a Dell Axim X3i, which she can really use at work (there's a lot of very good pharmacy-related software available for Pocket PC's. We gave my parents some picture frames and an outdoor low-voltage lighting system for their house in Stone Mountain. Stacey's gift to me was my Roland Fantom - and that may cover my NEXT Christmas gift and birthdays as well...d'oh.
We prepped and ate a (late) Christmas Dinner around 4:00...but it was VERY good. Then I crashed for a much-needed nap. Dana came by this evening and dropped off a couple of presents for Kailyn from her family and Andy and Dixie. Shortly after that, J-mo dropped by, and we laughed at my usual kitchen clumsiness and drank homemade mudslides (which turned out VERY good, considering it was my first attempt at making such a thing).
Now, I'm at the PC while my WIRED 17-month-old is walking all over the house. Was I like that on Christmas when I was a kid? She had a very good day today... Seeing her have such an exciting day was so much more important than all the gifts and good food. Up until today, I've been bummed (for years) that I'm no longer a kid at Christmas. But Kailyn's joy today was very contagious, and I may actually enjoy being the parent of a child at Christmas more than I miss being a kid myself (Shhh...don't tell anyone...my parenthood "geek" is showing...again).
Anyway...Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night. Peace.
KEY PHRASES: "Is that wagon supposed to look like a ferris wheel?" "Wow, we almost had a major catastrophe at church...yikes" (noted when Dave realized that some of the candles had "melted" the plastic stands they were sitting on. nearly causing a "fire"). "Matthew, where's your family?" "I don't know...they left me all alone up here..." "Crap, no crabs this week." "It's the chocolate syrup that makes the 'mud.'" Kailyn: "Move!" (yes, she actually told Stacey to 'move' earlier).
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