Christmas was really strange for us this year.
Mainly because I missed it. I was in the hospital.
But the boys were pretty adamant about waiting for me to come home before they did their Christmas, even though I tried to convince them that it was okay to go ahead without me. (It made me feel good that they didn’t want to, though. “It just wouldn’t be the same without you, mom.” Aww).
So, we celebrated our Christmas on the 27th, the night I came home from the hospital.
I was exhausted, but I took a pain pill and felt up to opening gifts, so that’s what we did.
My parents had brought over their gifts for us, along with the infamous stocking stuffers (my mom seriously gives the BEST stocking stuffers. We nearly always end up using them and they never fail to make us laugh. She’s really quite clever how she tailors our stockings to each of us perfectly. I don’t know how she does it).
So we began with their gifts first.
Dude got the cutest monkey – it’s a computer monitor duster. I really think he liked it.
Judging by Jazz’s face, he has no idea what this is, but once he opens it, I’m confident he’ll have fun with it. This is right up Jazz’s alley.
Jazz is smiling over this remote control vehicle because Kevin warned him he was going to steal it. I think he was looking forward to keeping it away from his dad.
The boys enjoy Manga and cartoon characters. Dude got this book:
And I got a great deal on some cartoon software that I thought the boys would enjoy playing around with.
Then the boys opened up their gifts from “Santa.”
Jazz got a few games, a new phone (which he LOVES), and a stuffed “Boo.” (It’s a character from the Mario games. He loves those character plushies).
Dude got a few games, a new phone (which he didn’t ask for, Santa got a really good deal on those phones, but which he has virtually NOT put down since he got it) and a hoodie depicting one of his favorite game graphics and which was WAY over priced, in my opinion.
Santa brought the boys Donkey Kong thinking Kevin might like to play it. (Kevin is a HUGE Donkey Kong fan).
Kevin got a NASCAR flash drive and the leg lamp from “A Christmas Story” from my folks. (I CRACKED up when he opened that gift. That’s totally going into the gag gift pile for next Christmas!!) I bought him a remote control helicopter (that he has since played with and bumped into our popcorn ceiling so much that I autormatically get the vacuum cleaner out whenever he starts playing with it) and a steering wheel to use with his Grand Turismo 5 Playstation 3 game. (He LOVES racing games).
My mom knitted me some more booties (and I wear them all the time because they’re so comfy), and being a big game person, I got Carcassonne (which is by the makers of Settler’s of Catan game and which my nephew recommended. I haven’t played it yet, but I trust my nephew when it comes to games) as well as a 5/6 Settler’s of Catan game expansion (so more people can play). My “big” gift was a new PINK laptop!!! Woohoo!
We had a really great time – our Christmas was short and sweet. It was just good to be HOME and surrounded by my guys.
I try not to think about missing Christmas too much – it’s just too depressing. I just keep telling myself that we have yet another family story to tell to our grandkids someday.
“Remember Christmas 2010, mom, when you were in the hospital getting your guts cut out?”
I can just hear the gory details now … 🙂
Write From Karen 