A Family Christmas

I hope that everyone had as wonderful of a Christmas as I did! My sister and Ann came into town to celebrate with my mom and me. We had a blast! We started out going to see Christmas lights around Great Bridge and Kempsville. Some people are so creative in their displays, especially Allen (who gives the Griswolds a run for their money) and Preston. We even went to see the house of one of my students. Their display is amazing, with the lights set to several Christmas songs. On Christmas Eve, we each got to open one present. My mom and I each got a calendar that my sister made for us, which is awesome and filled with pictures from the last year. My sister got a clock from Pottery Barn. Thanks to Sampras, we all woke up early on Christmas Day. I was downstairs around 5:30, and my mom was already waiting. Sara wandered down a few minutes later, and we eventually emptied our stockings. Mine was filled with perfume, lottery tickets (I won a dollar), candy, and many other goodies. Later in the day, we ate a buffet-style meal of ham, baked hashbrowns, corn, broccoli, rolls, green slushy punch, and sparkling cider. It was delicious, but my mom's cooking always is! Eventually, Ann came over (from her parents' house), and we got to opening presents. We were all quite spoiled, as usual. I finally got a Tivo, so now I won't miss all the good shows when I'm out and about or fast asleep! Perhaps my funniest gift was a chair to sit in at kickball games. The back of it reads "Kickball Superstar." I love it, but I am a little worried about living up to the expectations it will surely bring! At the end of the day, I received more wonderful gifts than I could ever deserve or list on here. In fact, we all did. Even Sampras got in on the gift action, opening a big purple ball, treats, and other toys. It was a blast to see him try to get it all out of the box to play with. It was a day when I really realized how blessed we all truly are, not just because of the gifts, but also because of the time we got to spend together!