Christmas Time Is Here...

Believe it or not but Christmas is right around the corner.  This is the first year where I actually don't have to stress about money or what to get who and all that bullshit.  I went with ordering everything online this year.  No lines.  No worries.  Everything has already been delivered in the mail except for 2 items, and I have to pick something up on the 23rd, but other than that I just finished wrapping everything, with little name tags and all.  I feel good and relieved to get this all done with a week to spare.

Christmas time in my family has the same routine every year.

Christmas Eve- 4pm whole family meets at Grandma's house.  We aren't allowed in the living where the tree is until every one has arrived and until a little bell rings.  Then we run outside to see if we can help the little cousins find Santa in the sky.  We're a German family so we do the family deal on Xmas Eve.  We try to get everyone of the kids to open their presents one at a time but after two kids go, its a free for all.  Apparently Ann and Tom do Jagerbombs every year.  I don't know where I have been for all of that for the past 19 years, but this year I'm definitely getting in on that.  

On Christmas day, Daniel and I wait for Mom and Dad to wake up until we all go downstairs.  Mom and Dad get the video camera out and Dan and I get filmed opening up our presents.  The battery always seems to die right in the middle of it all, but I guess a tradition is a tradition.  Mom always gets jipped in the Christmas present department so this year I made sure that wasn't going to happen.  I think I did a good job :).  My mom is actually getting surgery on her left foot tomorrow, and in 3 weeks she gets surgery on her right foot.  She has a prescription for vicodin, so... I plan on being extra nice. (Just kidding Mom...)

So after we are done opening presents, Mom takes out her breakfast dinnerware that we use once a year and she makes a huge breakfast.  We eat this while putting in batteries and charging out shit.  Around 2pm we all go to Ann's and have a Christmas lunch.  Hopefully this year Kevin can come join us.  He said he was afraid of family gatherings so  I called him a pussy (love you Kevin).  He said they do Christmas dinner late, so this should all go according to plan.

THEN my Colleen flies home from Missouri and she will be joining me for my now 4 year tradition of going to a movie on Christmas Day.  Have you ever been to the movies on Christmas?  There is an insane amount of people.  It's ridiculous but I love going anyway.  We plan on seeing The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

All in all I am very very very excited for this Christmas holiday.  After Christmas, there are 5 short days until the New Year.  Kevin and I need to still buy our tickets for Together As One for our New Years Eve celebration.  We're staying up in LA at Brett's apartment.  Colleen and Cameron are taking a party bus up.  Meredith and Shaun are going on their own (I think and hope).  Michelle lives right next to the venue so her and Alen are walking over.  With over 65,000 people, hopefully we can all be together for the countdown!

This is a complete 180 from last year.  Life is funny like that.