Hey, how was your Christmas?

peaceful....+....beautiful

exchanged some loving emails with my son and with a friend

took some pictures and created a nice new website for my art

baked chicken with dill & carrots

watched a sentimental X-mas movie

never saw another human being

T-O-T-A-L *** H-A-P-P-I-N-E-S-S

katya what is the address of your site? I'd love a look

I want to set something right. christmas this year was the result of some effort and low expectations. It turned out almost as a dickens story for us.

Ive learned over the years of much pain and spent reserve, that we dont have any right to expect a holiday to replay itself as something from a childhood memory.
I must constantly remember that now Im the father, the grownup the leader, the maker of tradition. The finder of paths. SO , after discovering that Im not real good at any kind of event planning, with my permission we sort of let things happen and, and we just make a big fuss over small things. Those are, after all the precious moments.
I had to be happy for everyone elses sake this year , even though, at times i wanted to tear up over a dead friend. My kids helped immensely, and so did mrs F and the neighbors and even my dumass brothers in law today.
one thing we did decide that we are doing again next year is to help out in community foodbanks and toy events and making deliveries of holiday meals for those in need and shut ins.
this is the real important stuff, how we relate to others, and to do it in a quiet way, in the shadows where our helping hand is just a small tool in the mass of other helping hands that build a wall of caring. Sounds sappy, I know , but, if I ever feel sad for myself and my own troubles again, just kick my butt to a food kitchen and start making me peel potatoes and cook veggies. I just learned the fact that Ive got it waay too good and many others dont.
The last few weeks i was feeling lower than whale **** and I didnt have any holiday spirit till maybe just last sunday. oh I went through the buying frenzy to try and perk up, to little avail. On sunday late morning, A baptist minister I often see at the coffehouse and argue over evolution, called and invited me and the family to help out in their gift gfiving and the community food kitchen, Well I couldnt say no and when I told the family , instead of the moaning I expected, everybody said yo. I dont believe in any spiritual things but if I did, id say my recently killed buddy was showing me his own marley-like chain and I ought to see how much more important some things are in life. I really didnt know how dense Ive been Im going to be 54 next summer , I hope I have enough years ahead to "do some good"

Hey, what do you mean, Roger?

My sister-in-law invited her two children and spouses, one cousin, their Chinese in-laws plus us. We sort of watched the Dallas-Sacramento basketball game. It went back and forth during the game, but Dallas ended up with the win. It seems we're going to their place for New Year's Day. While grandma was alive, everybody used to come to our place. Change happens.

That was yesterday, Msolga. This is today and everything is fine again. Didn't mean to concern you. Thanks for the thoughts.

I'm a bit of a worry wort, as you can see, Roger!
I'm very, very pleased that today's a big improvement on yesterday! Enjoy!

We celebrated christmas this year on christmas eve, so my actual christmas day was great. Nothin like sittin around "playing" with the new stuff and fillin up on junk!

I had a fantastic Christmas eve and Christmas day.

The funny thing is, normally I don't enjoy Christmas, but since, ahem, "maturing" I love it because I don't stress out.

Christmas eve was spent with Rae and her son Dougie, we rented movies and ate lots of nuts and chips, mince pie, pumpkim pie and ice cream, it was wonderful.

Christmas morning we HAD to wake Rae up, and our tradition is to allow one person to open gifts before everyone else does, so that the others have a chance to see the reaction of the recipient.

So I got to be first!

When Rae opened her gifts, it was such a joy to watch, because every year her son gives her a present she cries/bawls over. This year it was a heart-shaped pendant with "mom" written on it!

Then Dougie opens his gifts, and he is such a pleasure to watch. He laughs at every gift he opens, with a "I never would have thought of that" comment! When he finished opening his gifts, he said "well, I guess I'm not getting an X-Box" ... so we said, sorry son, maybe next year! After we got through picking up all the boxes and paper, I suggested he check my closet for anything else ... he got this big grin on his face, ran like hell, and found his X-Box!!!

I just had a ball watching him, and being with Rae and Doug ... it made my Christmas!