Merry Christmas!

Whew! What an exciting day!

I'm pleased that our family Christmases don't begin at the ungodly hour that mine did as a child, when I woke up at 4:30 a.m. ready to open gifts. The twins were up around 7:15, and Rutledge and Frances were up a bit before 8, at which time we all headed downstairs (Walter and Ollie had already been there). I'm embarrassed at what a Not Economic Downturn Christmas we had. In fact, yesterday afternoon, when I was out and part of my job was to look for this Cabela's Dangerous Hunts game that Ollie wants, I felt like I was morally decrepit for even contemplating One More Gift. Thankfully, I didn't find it, and I wasn't going on a multi-store adventure looking. But here's what they did get:

Ollie:
Calvin and Hobbes Complete Collection
Nerf Vulcan gun
Call of Duty 4
Wintergreen lift ticket and snow pants
2 fleece jackets

Walter:
Lego Indiana Jones Temple Escape
Lego Cargo Plane
various small lego sets--street sweeper, a police car, etc.
Wintergreen lift ticket
Erector set
Lego Mindstorms books
Fleece jacket
Three stuffed mooses with a note from Santa--his favorite gift, though he was very disturbed by the ceramic "dirty shoe" that one of these mooses was in

Frances:
American Girl: Julie
Charm bracelet
Makeup set
Two Calico Critter families, 3 Little Pigs, and three small accessory sets, including a General Store
Art supplies
Two pairs of pajamas--silk and red and white striped
Fleece jacket
Teddy bear
Mancala

Rutledge:
Imaginext Dinosaur Mountain
Playmobil Police
Playmobil Knights Rock Mountain Tower
Tonka crane
Giant wooden pirate ship and boat dock
Red and white striped pajamas
Some slightly more age-appropriate XBox games (Viva Pinata, Cars)
Star Wars figures
Army transport vehicle that makes lots of sounds

Then there were some family gifts--Blokus, Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan

And a large number of things that I'm forgetting now--there were many, many presents under that tree!

Though Kerry and I weren't supposed to exchange gifts because we got a car, I got him some small things (and lost and still haven't found the wallet I got him)--some gym pants, some car care stuff, a keychain that beeps when you whistle so you can find your keys. And he cheated and got me an amazing bread machine (though I probably won't make too much of this dairy-less bread I made tonight when some allergic guests were coming; it was rather dry), two sweaters, two shirts, a skirt that is tight (for some reason I've gained about 5 pounds in the past week!), and some jeans. And the big thing: an iPod touch. I haven't even touched it yet...literally. It's still in the box because I haven't had a second to sit down today. My Dad also gave me us some money and paid for our room at our family reunion at the beach next September.

Here's my progress on yesterday's list:

* Made 5 different kinds of cookies
* Watched It's a Wonderful Life
* Finished Risk
* Went to Christmas Eve service at church
* Saw award-winning decorated houses in Woodlake and the incredible computer-controlled lights of a house in Charter Colony where the lights change with the beat of the music--they have their own radio station that broadcasts the sound for their display!
* Read to Frances

I also did some last-minute shopping, picked up our Christmas cards from Costco, and did a ton of cleaning.

Today was even busier--the opening of the gifts, then non-stop cleaning and preparation for our dinner this afternoon. I am shocked that I even got a shower. Erased most evidence of the wrapping papers and bows and shards of cardboard boxes that was everywhere from the unwrapping. Shuttled gifts into people's bedrooms so that our living room had some space in it. Set up the dinosaur mountain, only to have it be knocked over into smithereens. Made bread in the new bread machine. Made slice and bake cookies with Ollie. Folded tiny little paper magazines and books for the Calico Critters and put the stickers on their vanity tables and general stores and microscopic tubes of toothpaste. Tracked down batteries for giant guns, fake hamsters, flocked animal nursery lights, and laser tag weapons and targets and fiddled with all those dadburned screws that you have to unscrew to put in batteries these days. Untwisted outrageous numbers of twist ties holding on everything from Mary Poppins and Bert to members of a SWAT team. Served dinner to 8 adults and 10 children. Drank another glass of wine after everyone went upstairs for a few minutes. Cleaned my trashed kitchen and hand-washed about 25 pans and serving pieces so that the queue waiting for the dishwasher didn't appear so ominous.

Injuries today:

* Sliced a big chunk out of my fingertip while trying to knock wax off a candlestick with a knife
* Submarined my index finger and its cuticle in a battery holder of a Nerf weapon
* Stood up and banged my head with the full force of standing up into the underside of a rock countertop
* Burned my finger through an oven mitt that was not properly stuff in some spots while trying to pop some recalcitrant bread out of a pan

Where I am now: waiting for the last cookies to bake and watching Home Alone. Wishing that I lived in Kevin's lovely house in Chicago, where it is no doubt snowing just like it is in the movie. Wondering how I'm going to stay awake for Christmas with the Cranks, which I'm in the mood to see.

Plan for tomorrow: RELAX!!!