Christmas Round-Up Part 1 (the crazy!)

There were tears. There were toys. There was a skateboard for the Monkey. There was a daddy who broke it. There was drinking. Lots.


Christmas began on the 22nd in my little world. That's when Daniel, Jack and I went to my dad's house for Christmas dinner. My little sister, Kelley, was supposed to be there. But, snow in Amsterdam caused her to miss her flight, and she ended up stranded with our cousin kat for a few extra days (she made it home on the 23rd). Anyway, that Christmas was lovely. We got generous and practical gifts (wood to fill in the dock, a landscape plan, an Amazon gift card, a beautiful necklace, some tools), had a wonderful dinner (Rosemary Shrimp) and took lots of goofy pictures in lots of silly hats. The monkey had fun opening his presents and then went to bed calmly and happily.


On the 23rd we headed to the annual Christmas Trivia party at sMIL's best friend's house. Unfortunately, Jack fell asleep in the car on the way there. Sneaking him in failed, so he was up for the duration. Or until we were 1/2way into the game and he started having an utter breakdown. Oops. He was super-cute playing with his cousins, though, and we had a nice night.


The 24th, Christmas Eve, began with a whimper. Kelley had finally flown in the night before and due to a misunderstanding was mad at me. She was at my mom's house and they were supposed to come over and bake cookies. They didn't. Well, finally they did. Around 2. Along with my aunt. and 4 dogs. And it all failed. There were tears and fights and unpleasantness.



So, at 4, Daniel and the baby and I left to go to my in-laws to open presents, then church, then back to in-laws for dinner, then home to put baby to bed, then back to inlaws for more presents. Get all that? Yeah, we didn't either. Jack and his cousins opened presents early, as they'd be asleep with visions of sugarplums by the time everyone else opened presents at midnight. Or that was the plan. We didn't account for my child's sleep refusals or the drunken screaming mess I'd walk into when we went home to put him to bed. Let's start over.


My mom and aunt, sister, her boyfriend, and my mother's childhood friend/ex were all coming to my house for Christmas eve dinner. I wasn't going to be there.


We went to in-laws, the kids opened gifts, played, and then we went to church. GIANT CHURCH FAIL. HUGE. DISASTROUS. Jack wanted to run the aisles. Since that couldn't happen, he screamed. We spent the entire time in the Narthex. We left after communion. Headed back to my in-laws for dinner (where we got to see Jack's ADORABLE 2nd cousin, Alison) and where my child showed himself to be utterly incapable of sitting still for longer than 5.5 seconds. I know there was judging going on. At this point we were well past baby bedtime, so we took him home.


Home. Oh, the peacefulness of home on Christmas eve. Christmas lights in the windows, soft George Winston music playing.


Oh, right. Back to my life. We got home and dinner hadn't started (9pmish) and everyone was fairly wasted. Jack went to bed and my sister picked a fight with my husband over his Christmas stocking (which is a funny story deserving of a post all its own). Screaming, crying, threatening. Car keys found. Eventually, Jack woke up, the inlaws started calling looking for us to open presents, Jack didn't go back to sleep, so we all piled BACK into the car.


And opened gifts. Which were generous, and lovely, and we had a very nice time.


Then back in the car, back home, and we went to bed. (the drunks were still drinking, btw. no tears, though).


I'm tired just remembering and I think I need a nap. I'll finish this later. Or never. Who knows with me.