Christmas Day – The Reluctant Grownup

Christmas Day dawned bright and chilly. The boys raced downstairs and commenced with opening. I got very few pictures because I was just enjoying it, and also indulging in my OCD need to keep up with the mess. I took some videos, but pretty much the only pictures I got were of food:

Snacks on a cupcake stand - great idea I got from somewhere — Snacks on a cupcake stand – great idea I got from somewhere

Prime rib Christmas dinner. Man was it good.

We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast and sadly I stupidly did not put them on a jelly roll pan because I don’t have one, and somehow did not think about the fact that the butter in the filling would melt and pour off the baking sheet and burn on the bottom of the oven. Which is precisely what happened, making it a challenge to get them fully cooked. We managed and everyone ate them, underdone and somewhat charbroiled, but I need to buy myself a jelly roll pan for sure.

For lunch we had finger foods – cheese, crackers, fruit, chips. And for dinner we had really fantastic prime rib which I undercooked and had to put back in but it worked out, plus potatoes and cheese grits and green beans and whiskey glazed carrots that were truly divine. Those I will absolutely make again. It was a really good dinner. The day itself was mostly eating, playing with toys, managing trash – there might have been a nap. A perfect day. I’ll never forget my brother putting together this laser game (not real lasers, fake string “laser beams” that protect a prize and you have to wind your way through them, Mission Impossible Style, without touching), and also him and Craig playing a 4 foot tall jenga game (Craig was really, really good). We built new Lego sets and played with new art supplies and Liam played a new video game or two. All in all, a great day, insufficiently captured in photos but so it goes.

The day after Christmas I took off work, and mostly actually got to be off duty. At this point I don’t remember much about this day except I think we went to see a Christmas light show that we had not yet gone to this season, and got burgers at a local place

Liam is just this bad at smiling for the camera, whereas Jack was seriously grumpy and faking a smile.

This was Craig's outfit for the Christmas lights. He charmed many. — This was Craig’s outfit for the Christmas lights. He charmed many.

Uncle Randy went home the next day. I went back to work. The Prof kept the kids the rest of their time off, spending some days at the zoo, at the movies, and otherwise hanging out. The following week was in-law time – we had skipped Christmas as their house so we could save up the vacation/travel time for an epic trip – to Disney World!