Christmas (finally)

So I'm finally getting around to blogging about our Christmas weekend.  I know, I'm a slacker, but better late than never.

I have a tradition of going to Noah's Arc (the no-kill animal shelter where I used to volunteer before the law consumed my entire life) on Christmas Eve to give Christmas treats to all the homeless doggies.  Ben's Mom has gone with me the past several years, so I guess now it's a tradition for both of us.  Some of the dogs have been there their whole lives, which is sad because they're not in a home where they get all the attention they deserve, but it's also happy because they're well-cared-for and well-loved and don't ever have to worry about finding food, water, or medical care.   They're always so happy and grateful for our attention.

Christmas Eve is also when my immediate family has our Christmas celebration.  This year was pretty strange, as Dad had a kidney stone and was in intense pain all weekend.  He tried to be cheerful for Christmas, but it was obvious that he was miserable the entire time.  Here are some pictures of the not-so-miserable parts:

Dara and me with our traditional tackily-wrapped presents

Me with my super-huge present (a jewelry armoire) from Mom and Dad

It wouldn't be Christmas without Dad's knife.  If anyone has the slightest trouble opening a present, he insists that the knife be used.

Dad has a friend whose nickname is "Lather" and who wears overalls a lot.  Dad asked for some overalls to wear when he's working outside, so Dara congratulated him on receiving his "Lather starter kit."  Ha!

Damon chillin' in his new bathrobe

We have a relatively new tradition of having Christmas morning breakfast with Ben's parents and some of our good friends and neighbors.  It's the only time all year that I make sausage balls, which is probably a good thing because then I want to eat every last one of them.  Ben made a breakfast casserole, we had biscuits and gravy, and I can't even remember what else.  Lots of good breakfast stuff.  It has become one of my favorite traditions.

Christmas afternoon we have our celebration with Mom's side of the family, which is huge.  This year my sister and I gave our grandparents a "tall toilet."  My grandmother's knees, hips, etc. are bad, and she had expressed interest in one, but I still found it amusing that we gave a toilet as a Christmas gift.  There were many jokes about it being a "shitty gift" or "the gift that keeps on giving."  Ha! 

The Christmas season is always so hectic, but I'm always sad and disappointed when it's over.