All of the time on preparation and then it's over in a few hours . . .

Well, Christmas Day has come and gone and the days of preparation were well worth the time and toil and stress and anxiety. The best part of my Christmas was being with my kids and their families and watching the little ones (under age 20) open their gifts with excitement and happiness. It's pretty cool to look at everyone gathered in the family room and see how our family of five has grown to ten with a new little one to join us in June.

I also enjoyed Christmas at Dad's. I wasn't sure what to expect with Mom not around, but things went pretty well. Dad wanted to keep things as much the same as he could. That meant some shopping, new socks for everyone, and the traditional Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day snacks. Thanks to everyone, all activities went well.

Well, now it's over for another year and many of us have a few days off to relax and enjoy the company of family.

Merry Christmas!