Whatcha doing for the holidays?Follow

One week from now a lot of us will have our fantasies and wishes rippes to shreds as we open presents of tea kettles instead of diamonds, neck ties instead of keys to our new Lexus'. So whatcha doing for the holidays?

I've got < 3 more days before my mom flies in for 2 weeks of holiday cheer, and headaches listening to how alone she is now, all by herself in New England My brother, who is stationed in Jacksonville, NC, will be schlepping up here for a couple nights. It's been several years since my side of the family has gathered for the holidays so it should be interesting to say the least.

After the actual Christmas holiday we'll be spending the next 10 days on a whirlwind tour of daily activities in the area.

We are having dinner at our place, just a couple friends and their new baby. Should be very low key and I plan on having a buzz all day.

Go, me!

Cleaning, entertaining in-laws, finishing freelance work.

Fun.

First Christmas back in San Diego so there are over 80+ family members that we will be visiting over the weekend. I have it all mapped out and calculated the time we will be spending at each house and the driving distance. We'll attend the Christmas Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve with said family members and have a huge family lunch and dinner at my cousin's house for Christmas proper. Christmas morning will be just hubby, the kids and me and we'll lounge around and have breakfast and open presents before the whirlwind of family.

Eating. Drinking. Maybe playing Pictionary with the family, as tradition dictates.

Oh, and going to the Bears vs. Packers game on the 23rd.

Saturday, driving to my parent's house where we'll spend the night and come back Sunday afternoon. Monday night, go to the hubby's grandmother's house, where his family will be eating, drinking and tearing open presents. Staying at our house Monday night, then there's a possibility that we'll be driving to see my MIL on Tuesday. But I'm hoping for a quiet Christmas Day at home. We'll see, I guess.

Eating, Drinking and getting Merry

I have no plans for anything before Christmas day, then go nuts trying to be in 2 places at once.

My family normally starts gathering at my daughters around 2 in the afternoon to nibble on snacks and watch sports on TV. We expect dinner to be serve around 7pm, but often find that the cooks still are busy in the kitchen doing last minute gravy and deciding who going to cut the prime rib this year. I hope that I won't be called to help make the gravy again this year, but don't believe that any deity is listening to me. I will not be allow to avoid the kitchen, since I was asked to make the cream mushrooms and onions, flavored with Dry Sack, as I seem to be only one who learn how my mom make this family favorite dish. After all the phones calls I got with questions on how to prepare this one dish over Thanksgiving, I can hope that they will make it by themselves someday.

We are also expected to make it to Jonwin's brother's for meal at 4pm. We past on visiting last year, to cut down on the stress level that comes with the holiday. Since we were both sick on Thanksgiving this year and stay home, we should try to make an appearance for some turkey and other more traditional American holiday food. Jonwin's SIL and I will be the only ones to have any of the sauerkraut, which seems is a local tradition for Xmas, that I hadn't encountered until moving to Baltimore.

Normally I have sauerkraut on hot dogs, during the summer months. Though I found that when made as soul food by local "Cooks," very tasty. I just love me some southern cooking, as they say it around here.

Then we get ride back to my daughter's house hopefully before they sit down for dinner. The one year we were late, they ate nearly all of the prime rib and about to have desert. Christmas day doesn't seem right to me, without getting a slab of rare prime rib on my plate.

All this, just so I can get to see my grandkids open their gifts and get pictures of them in their new hats and mittens.

*hugs* Angsty

What kind of unwholesome, unholy mongoloids don't drink at holiday parties?

Anyone else hear the music from the Omen?




You stallion, Smoggy. How many ladies you got going now?

Stanley's eyes are outfitted with laser beams (they didn't have frikkin' sharks)! I'll take some better pics while I'm on vacation. He's really adorable.



About 5 or 6 - while casual dating is fun and just what I need right now, it's getting to be a bit of a juggling act. I don't really have the time for all of them. So I'm not renewing Match.com (pretty decent) and Yahoo Personnels (sucked) subscriptions. Plenty of Fish is free and actually has some nicer features like its forums and a decent chat system (even vocal chat).

Thank Bob some of them are traveling over the holidays - I'm going to enjoy some down time.



Blucher! *whinny!

On the Happy News front, Flea's present arrived today so it won't be late for Christmas as I feared.