Christmas 2008

Mom and Dad's Tree

Shell, Mom and Me

Gary, Brooke, Me and Nicole

Shell, Nick and Mom

My beautiful girls!

Mom and Dad

Brooke, Mom and Nicole

Gary and Louie

Christmas Day at Shelly and Charley's

Billy and Gary

The new addition to the family, Sophie

Nicole and Eric here on Christmas Night

I can't believe after all that planning and wrapping, it is all done and over with. Phew, it is exhausting! On Christmas Eve we went to my parents house, the weather had turned nasty, sleet and freezing rain. We had Chinese food and then opened gifts. We didn't leave there until after midnight, and the ride home was horrible! We took the highway and it had warmed up so instead of ice on the road there were thick white pockets of fog. I was terrified that a moose would be standing in the middle of the highway and we wouldn't be able to see it. (a woman was killed a couple of months ago on that highway because she didn't see the moose that she hit!!) We got up kind of early on Christmas morning, after only 4 hours of sleep! Opened up another round of gifts. Gary and I did stockings this year because we had bought ourselves a new bedroom TV in the Fall. Brooke got me a really nice pocketbook from Wilson's Leather, and a wallet to go with it that she had bought when we were in Stowe. She must have seen me eyeballing it! We left at 1 and went to Gary's brother's house. They had 24 people I think, but somehow we managed to squeeze in. We had a delicious dinner with ham and turkey, squash, cheesy potatoes etc. Lots of food. We had a Yankee Swap afterwards, Brooke got a Dunkin Donuts gift card, I got a little pink teapot and Gary got a mini air compressor. After that we played Bingo, we were all losers of course. Got back home at 7, and Nicole and Eric came over. More gifts to open. They got us a gift card to Chili's and I also got slipper socks, bath gel and body spray from Bath and Body Works. Gary got some scratch tickets and he won $25! Brooke got the Vera Wang Princess perfume set. They left at 9 and we collapsed into bed.

I don't know if I was stupid or brave but I went out shopping yesterday. I didn't find any really great deals. I am all stocked up for wrapping paper, bows, tissue, gift bags, ribbon and card for next year though. I picked up a couple of small gifts, and put them in my wrapping closet. Hopefully I will remember who they are for next year!