Hey everyone, just checking in while away from home/work for the weekend, and having a sleepless couple hours here.
Merry Xmas, everyone, hope it's going swell for everyone do far.
This weekend is about as traditional as it gets for me all year long. I love it, I love everyone here....but I'm glad it's not an everyday thing. I drove an hour south toward San Diego (with the top down in my new car, that's my present to me, and the weather is great

) to spend the weekend with my best friends Mark and Michele and their grown up sons who all consider me an uncle. One of them has 2 little kids.
I make it a point to let people know NOT to get me anything, and the only thing I get is for the kids, really....a 2-year old girl and a 4 year old boy that I love as if they were my own. For everyone else, though, I've brought tons of food, drink, a few doo-dads, some glowy Munny's or other things....and for the kids I got:
for Tristan, a Lost in Space Lunch Box that I picked up at Comic Con,(which threw all the adults into geeky fits of envy

), a glow-in-the-dark Batman action figure (with rubber cape) and a huge plushy Great White Shark from Ikea.
(Ikea has a GREAT kids section with wonderful toys and things).
For True (the 2 year old girl), I bought (all from Ikea) a stuffed alligator and a few sets of miniature dishes and things to go in her toy kitchen that she opens up today.....little colorful stoneware plates/bowls/saucers, goblets and cups, little stainless steel pots and pans, and some colorful plastic cutlery (Ikea 's miniature stainless steel cutlery set was sold out).
So much fun watching them play with their things. True was serving empty dishes to everyone all day, and color coordinating everything

and Tristan was loving on the Batman figure the most. They left the shark in the guest room here for when the kids visit, and the house cat is cuddled up with the shark tonight.
During the gift exchange I got some great books, movie tickets and a lovely studio pic of Tristan and True.
Earlier in the week I was invited to a departmental lunch at the company I've worked contractually for since August.....it was also a White Elephant gift exchange/stealing party, and I scored a nice portable heat-up (plug in to cig lighter in car) drink cup, and a Starbucks gift card.
I also have a few DVDs on the way to me in the mail, including a few old John Waters comedies.
So Xmas Eve Day was when we did all the gifting, visiting and food. After the kids left, the rest of us went to have drinks at their country club and closed it down, sitting outside on the patio and warming up at a cozy fire ring, and listening to thousands of frogs croaking and the coyotes yelping, while enjoying the slightly drunky laughs and conversation.
What's in store for today, not sure....mostly kicking back and maybe a movie in the evening. I have a few more visits once I return home, and it's back to the grind....a contract job that probably wraps up in January, but scope-creep has kept me in the black for a few months, and this job may continue for awhile. Best gift I got this year. Got me out of old debt, got me a car, got me a new computer. Loads to be grateful for, especially in these times. (So yeah, the coolest loot I'm getting is stuff I am buying for myself).
VERY Merry Xmas to all of you.
~Bill