Christmas '03
Dec. 26th, 2003 01:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
la_belle_laideMeh, I'm home sick today. This pisses me off a bit, since I was planning on goign to see Peter Pan tomorrow. Well, hopefully by then I'll feel up to it. It started last night around 9 PM, and I wasn't the only one. My goddaughter Meghan had just gotten over having the URI (no good, since she has asthma,) and by the endof the night, everyone started to feel fevery chilly achy coughy. So I called in, so's not to spread the love.
Christmas was (mostly) great! If only Spencer could've been there, but he was at his Mom's house. But let's see, we had Mom, Dad, Gran, my cousin Chrissie and her husband Tim, my cousin Celia and her little boy Branden, (Celia's preggers again; I had to rub her belly and then mine, so hopefully the luck is contageous ;D ) my uncle Don, aunt Betsy, and cousin and goddaughter Meghan. Would have been that much nicer if we'd had Spencer with us, but we weren't able to. Fortunately, we'll probably get both kids on Tuesday, maybe till the end of their Christmas break. That'd be neat. We already have our movie / ice cream night planned: the extended DVD of TTT. This promises to be pretty cool.
Only other people missing were my Uncle Robert, Aunt Ana and cousin Stace, but hopefully I'll be seeing them within the week.
Food was superb, and gifts all around were fantastic. I managed to get Meghan what she wanted, which was a big wizard staff (and I managed to find one with a pink glass ball on the top. PINK! Meghan's passion!) along with a few surprises that she thought were really awesome, like a Hello Kitty Hula doll, clip-on cat ears (PINK!) a string of little mirrors to hang in her window (they sparkle, ya know,) a Legolas book mark with The One Ring attached to it, and all of this in a cute (PINK!!) little carrying bag. For Spencer, whom I've yet to see, the Soul Calibur II game for PS2.
Every year, between Celia, Chrissie, Mom and I, we manage to get two of the same thing for one of the others. This year, Celia gave me the same thing that my Mom gave her. LOL! We all tend to like the same sort of thing and shop at the same group of stores. I also managed to get my folks all of the stuff they wanted, (my Dad wanted some books on Disney, Mom wanted some bamboo and metal wind chimes,) along with Kona coffee, a tree ornament, a picture frame, and a winter centerpiece. Got a nice surprise for my Gran (the Harry Potter Mysteries book. Gran is the biggest HP fan,) along with a Grandma angel. She collects angels. For Chris and Tim, the Pirates DVD and gourmet popcorn, for Celia, a Bath & Body Works set, for Branden, a Lion King board game and one of those "little cars go up the mountain and flip and roll and things go boom" thing because there's almost nothing he likes better than Matchbox cars and games, and for Uncle Don and Betsy, soem Kona coffee, a Hawaiian tree ornament, a Christmas centerpiece and a Blockbuster gift card.
As for my own little self, here's what I raked in, aside from this scrummy computer: A fake volcano with mist! Woo! An awesome black raincoat, two CDs (Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole's new one, and Roland Cazimero's "Pele" CD,) the Clay Pigeons DVD, the Holo Mai Pele book, a Gunslinger encyclopedia, a Kenshin manga, a cool hair clip, and various little stickers, lipglosses, hand lotion and stuff. That was just from my parents! My Gran gave me cash, like she gives everyone, and another cool hair clip. Celia and Branden gave me an awesome bath set (this is tradition, you see, always giving bath stuff,) and Chris and Tim got me a sweet "Aloha" wall hanging thing, an unusual Saluki-print soap (it sounds bizarre and it is, but it's so cute,) and a Best Buy gift card. From Uncle Don and Betsy, this awesome Hilo Hattie basket (or "busket," really,) full of Hawaiian goodies like macadamia nuts, toffee, popcorn, chocolates and things like that, and a really gorgeous houseplant. I forget what it's called, but it's that naughty looking one with the red leaves and the phallic looking thingie coming out from them. It's adorable. And from Spencer and Meg, some gorgeous little Hilo Hattie tree ornaments, all of which I'd looked at when I was at Hilo Hattie in Florida, but didn't have enough money to buy that day. How odd!
Meghan had gotten a digital video camera from her Mom and Dad, and she spent the night taping everything in the world, down to the chips and salsa and my baby birds. Most of the time we just hung out and chatted, and tried to think of a time when we could all go on a huge-ass family trip like we all used to do. (It's hard now, with kids in school and everyone's work schedule different. Time was we'd travel 13 or so people in a motorhome and road trip, but we haven't done that since '95 or so.) Mom, Betsy and I, everytime we get together, have a glass of wine and sit around the kitchen checkign on the food and chatting about Spence and Meg, or work, or movies and such. After one glass we're all pretty toasty and things are generally hilarious. That's always an interesting part of any family gathering. ;)
What was also great was hearing from my brother Gary, whom I haven't seen since '99. He and my other brother Jim are going down to GA to see their Mom in a few days. That'll be awesome for them, because they haven't been together in such a long time. And alone together, with enough time to really talk? Not in over ten years, I promise you. I'm so happy for them I can't even tell you. Their mother might be the Wicked Witch and they both know it, but I think that this trip is more about them than anything else, and I'm so glad. Also, they're going to visit with my sister Donna. I've only met her twice and I can barely remember her. Apparently she's got some issues and all. I don't know, maybe the three of them being together like when they were little will help her, too.
Ah well, and that was Christmas '03.
Continuing post is friends-locked, because I'm going to bitch about something.
Christmas was (mostly) great! If only Spencer could've been there, but he was at his Mom's house. But let's see, we had Mom, Dad, Gran, my cousin Chrissie and her husband Tim, my cousin Celia and her little boy Branden, (Celia's preggers again; I had to rub her belly and then mine, so hopefully the luck is contageous ;D ) my uncle Don, aunt Betsy, and cousin and goddaughter Meghan. Would have been that much nicer if we'd had Spencer with us, but we weren't able to. Fortunately, we'll probably get both kids on Tuesday, maybe till the end of their Christmas break. That'd be neat. We already have our movie / ice cream night planned: the extended DVD of TTT. This promises to be pretty cool.
Only other people missing were my Uncle Robert, Aunt Ana and cousin Stace, but hopefully I'll be seeing them within the week.
Food was superb, and gifts all around were fantastic. I managed to get Meghan what she wanted, which was a big wizard staff (and I managed to find one with a pink glass ball on the top. PINK! Meghan's passion!) along with a few surprises that she thought were really awesome, like a Hello Kitty Hula doll, clip-on cat ears (PINK!) a string of little mirrors to hang in her window (they sparkle, ya know,) a Legolas book mark with The One Ring attached to it, and all of this in a cute (PINK!!) little carrying bag. For Spencer, whom I've yet to see, the Soul Calibur II game for PS2.
Every year, between Celia, Chrissie, Mom and I, we manage to get two of the same thing for one of the others. This year, Celia gave me the same thing that my Mom gave her. LOL! We all tend to like the same sort of thing and shop at the same group of stores. I also managed to get my folks all of the stuff they wanted, (my Dad wanted some books on Disney, Mom wanted some bamboo and metal wind chimes,) along with Kona coffee, a tree ornament, a picture frame, and a winter centerpiece. Got a nice surprise for my Gran (the Harry Potter Mysteries book. Gran is the biggest HP fan,) along with a Grandma angel. She collects angels. For Chris and Tim, the Pirates DVD and gourmet popcorn, for Celia, a Bath & Body Works set, for Branden, a Lion King board game and one of those "little cars go up the mountain and flip and roll and things go boom" thing because there's almost nothing he likes better than Matchbox cars and games, and for Uncle Don and Betsy, soem Kona coffee, a Hawaiian tree ornament, a Christmas centerpiece and a Blockbuster gift card.
As for my own little self, here's what I raked in, aside from this scrummy computer: A fake volcano with mist! Woo! An awesome black raincoat, two CDs (Kaumakaiwa Kanaka'ole's new one, and Roland Cazimero's "Pele" CD,) the Clay Pigeons DVD, the Holo Mai Pele book, a Gunslinger encyclopedia, a Kenshin manga, a cool hair clip, and various little stickers, lipglosses, hand lotion and stuff. That was just from my parents! My Gran gave me cash, like she gives everyone, and another cool hair clip. Celia and Branden gave me an awesome bath set (this is tradition, you see, always giving bath stuff,) and Chris and Tim got me a sweet "Aloha" wall hanging thing, an unusual Saluki-print soap (it sounds bizarre and it is, but it's so cute,) and a Best Buy gift card. From Uncle Don and Betsy, this awesome Hilo Hattie basket (or "busket," really,) full of Hawaiian goodies like macadamia nuts, toffee, popcorn, chocolates and things like that, and a really gorgeous houseplant. I forget what it's called, but it's that naughty looking one with the red leaves and the phallic looking thingie coming out from them. It's adorable. And from Spencer and Meg, some gorgeous little Hilo Hattie tree ornaments, all of which I'd looked at when I was at Hilo Hattie in Florida, but didn't have enough money to buy that day. How odd!
Meghan had gotten a digital video camera from her Mom and Dad, and she spent the night taping everything in the world, down to the chips and salsa and my baby birds. Most of the time we just hung out and chatted, and tried to think of a time when we could all go on a huge-ass family trip like we all used to do. (It's hard now, with kids in school and everyone's work schedule different. Time was we'd travel 13 or so people in a motorhome and road trip, but we haven't done that since '95 or so.) Mom, Betsy and I, everytime we get together, have a glass of wine and sit around the kitchen checkign on the food and chatting about Spence and Meg, or work, or movies and such. After one glass we're all pretty toasty and things are generally hilarious. That's always an interesting part of any family gathering. ;)
What was also great was hearing from my brother Gary, whom I haven't seen since '99. He and my other brother Jim are going down to GA to see their Mom in a few days. That'll be awesome for them, because they haven't been together in such a long time. And alone together, with enough time to really talk? Not in over ten years, I promise you. I'm so happy for them I can't even tell you. Their mother might be the Wicked Witch and they both know it, but I think that this trip is more about them than anything else, and I'm so glad. Also, they're going to visit with my sister Donna. I've only met her twice and I can barely remember her. Apparently she's got some issues and all. I don't know, maybe the three of them being together like when they were little will help her, too.
Ah well, and that was Christmas '03.
Continuing post is friends-locked, because I'm going to bitch about something.
