Merry Christmas to All, and To All A Good Night!

Carrie and Fayne

We had lunch at Carrie's beautiful house with all of Andrew's relatives.  Frank and I are still the outsiders in the group, even though Carrie is our only child.  But it affords us a way to see our daughter at holidays.  So we share the time with Andrew's huge family.

They are a likeable group, for the most part.  And I have to say, we have good food when they gather.  And lots of sweets.  Jamie, a skinny girl herself, always brings 3 desserts.  Go figure that.

Carrie and Michael

We exchanged presents, Fayne gave me the jar opener I have not found anywhere.  That was the exact perfect thing I needed.  Carrie gave Frank a shoe shine box.  He really needed one; he lost all his shoe brushes and cloths in the flood.









Carrie gave Jamie, Fayne and me a day at the Woodhouse Spa together.  That ought to be fun.  Massages, facials, hands, feet.  Oh yes........I can definitely get into that!




Sawyer was overwhelmed with everything and all the stuff.  He had a ton of presents from everyone.  We gave him a Red Flyer Wagon like Carrie used to have.  I was going to repaint hers, but it was destroyed in the flood.  I found a tent to play in for his bedroom and the cutest octopus that is about as tall as he is!

We also did a Dirty Santa this year and Andrew ended up with my trophy!  I love it.  I still think it was a great idea.
 
I have always felt a let down as the hours of Christmas Day wind down to midnight.  It is a malaise, if you will.   I have felt this as long as I can remember.  As a child in New Orleans, we exchanged presents and had dinner at Grandma Graci's house with my cousin Karen's family from Chicago, then supper with the Baton Rouge cousins. 

It was a day of unfamiliar cousins and Aunts and Uncles we saw a couple of times a year.   And then it was over.

Now, in my 60's I guess it is the same story.......dinner with unfamiliar cousins and then it is over.