A White Christmas!

It's been 17 years since we've had a White Christmas. No real accumulation, but enough to make everything white. It was really pretty, but cold. Considering we were having our family picture taken----OUTSIDE----it was really cold! The kids decided that it would be fun to re-create the photo we did 9 years ago when Victoria was a baby. That's how long it's been since we've all been together long enough to schedule the photographer. It's about time that Elizabeth---age 5---gets in the picture. It was so cold, the gas froze in the Corvette and wouldn't start. The guys had to push it around front. Each of us did the same pose we did the last time---except we're all in red sweaters and the house is decorated for Christmas. I brought the photographer inside to show him the picture we were trying to re-create. He said that he had seen that picture hanging in the mall! I'd forgotten that the photographer we used the last time had a place in the mall. The photo was up for about 5 years until the mall closed. I don't think we had ever told Sandy and family that we were on the wall in the mall. Mitchell said he was glad that no one he knew saw it.

We had to be ready by 7:30 a.m. so the teens weren't in the best mood. Even though I suggested that they go to bed early, they stayed up until 1 a.m. I told the kids that if they didn't like how they looked in the picture, it would be their fault---or possibly their parents!! The photographer got some really good shots. He probably took a hundred---some were taken inside too.

As far as our holidays went, they were fun, crazy, busy, game-filled, and went by far too fast. The amount of food and drink this family consumes is unbelievable. The unloading of the dishwasher---twice a day and taking out the re-cycling seems constant. I think I'm ready for a rest---but that won't happen quite yet as I plan to "un-decorate" tomorrow. I want to have it finished by the time we leave for St. Louis on Wednesday.

Our family trivia night was at the Broussard's this year. It's one of our family's favorite activities. In order to intimidate our opponents, Team Eads arrived in our red sweaters. It worked! We came in first!!! Then I demanded a re-count because I felt certain that there was another team that had more points than us. After the re-count, it was determined that we "tied" with another team. We split the first prize cash winnings. On the way home we realized that the re-count was wrong and we did indeed come in first all by ourselves. We're fine with the satisfaction that we won and do not plan to mention the mistake. I shouldn't have said anything in the first place, but a victory in the shadow of uncertainty---in my mind---isn't a victory at all.

This year, I had to institute some new rules to assure that our holiday went smoothly:
1. No boyfriends may attend family activities or meals during the holidays unless they've been around for the past 6 months. We're not feeding a bunch of random boys.

2. Games will not begin until there is some semblance of order in the kitchen.

3. Leaving the tv viewing area without calling "placeback" constitutes not only the loss of your chair, but the tv remote and the program you were watching as well.

4. Hanging around the kitchen will result in additional jobs being assigned. Even a "walk-through" is risky.

5. If you leave the gift unwrapping area outside of designated break times, you do not get to see what was opened while you were out of the room and lose your turn in the rotation of gift opening. We don't care if you have to go to the bathroom, get food or drink---that's what the designated break times are for. Exception: Grammy and Grandpa can call a halt to the proceedings at any time to check food, make a trash run, or retrieve the camera.

6. The food rotation may not be held up. If you're not ready for what has been passed to you (i.e. gravy, salt, pepper, butter, etc.) you have to move the item on and wait for the second pass to come around to you again.

7. Removing leftovers from the refrigerator may result in you having to heat up stuff for many others. You're better off hanging around the kitchen until someone else goes for the leftovers. Then you can tag on to their "leftover heat up." Of course, by doing this, you run the risk of violating rule #4.

8. During games, you are not allowed to "egg on" other players---especially in Liar's Poker. We have too many sore losers in the family for that.

9. You may not use the kitchen chairs as your own personal coat rack.

10. You can only use the Bombay Sapphire for your first gin and tonic. After that, you have to use the cheap stuff. This rule was mostly ignored until the entire bottle was gone. I was kind of freaking out, so Butch says he'll buy me a new one.

Guess which rule was the most ignored? #9---I guess it's pretty hard to enforce a rule that I can't even get Butch to abide by!!!

I hope your holidays were as merry as ours!