What we make of it.

It's great to have an enjoyable holiday. With that said, this past holiday has been one of the most memorable for me. This is most likely due to it being recent activity. On top of timeliness, the holidays were filled with great memories.

Christmas was proceeded by much feasting and preemptive gift-giving. The Daniel's Dinner is always fun and Jess missed it due to work. This extended family welcomed a new member, got to share in excitement of future members and enjoy great food. With bellies full secret-santa gifts were handed out as well as the family bloomers, over-sized undies and the snowman winter cap (I'm just gonna try to avoid the dreaded toboggan debate). With wrapping paper and gift bags asunder, a constant grazing of the buffet, and a healthy sugar rush; the kids head out to play on the playground, and a nice round of touch football, while the adults solve the worlds problems and laugh over experiences past. A few of the family members with blood sugar issues slowly slip towards a nice nap, aka "the itis".

Then came dinners with Jess' immediate family and my mom. Enough food in one day to make even Kobiyashi pop. Turkey sausage makes my soul smile and "heavy finger foods" translates to "meatballs and 2 slices of key lime pie". My wardrobe is wonderfully freshened and Snake Eyes has made a return to my life, also, FUSHIGI!!! (Which I am nowhere near mastering.) Jess and I spent all of Christmas day in our pajamas, through all our family stops (which helped my nap at her parents) and even building a snowman at my mom's to top off our "White Christmas". The following morning church was canceled, but not lunch at Grandma's. The family of 23 gathered to fill our stomachs, build snowmen, and start an assembly line for igloo production that would make an Eskimo Henry Ford proud.
The New Year was rung in in bed.

Even after the New Year Jess and I found ourselves at the normal place for our Sunday afternoons, Grandma's. I found myself pulled away from doodling to engage in my newest addiction, Just Dance 2 for the Wii. Competing against four girls I was regularly schooled, I would like to blame some of it on poor wii-mote sensitivity, but I did come in first on "Girlfriend" and "It's Raining Men". I was just happy to win. The rest of the family found great delight in reading into the situation more than necessary.

It's nice to reflect back on this holiday season. "Cheaper by the Dozen" playing in the background makes me thankful for family. My gorgeous wife lies across our love seat, beautiful with the slow rise and fall of the quilt following the lilt of her breathing. A lot has happened. None of it is on the level of scientifically groundbreaking, not even spiritually enlightening nor worthy of any attention from Alfred Nobel and his crew. Jess couldn't have said it better in her blog, "We are blessed."

Amen.