Christmas Morning 2008

     Thankfully my house is one of the last on Santa's route because I battled with the Ris Ala Mande dessert well into the wee hours of Christmas morning. The only little one in the house just turned two and doesn't quite get caught up in the excitement of waking up early on Christmas Day. I am glad for that as I was able to sneak in a couple of hours sleep. Adam and Michaela were the first two to waken and were delighted to find that not only had Santa left presents under the tree but he left Certificated of Good Behavior next to the empty cookie plate on the table. Both Michaela and Adam were thrilled that they received one and have hung theirs on the refrigerator for all to see. No one ever really stops believing in the magic of Santa.

       The plan was for all my children and their families to gather at my home to open presents and enjoy brunch before heading to my in laws in Plymouth, Ma. I had decided I would prepare a breakfast casserole. It had asparagus, eggs, cheese, ham, peppers and onions in it. Heeding to the many protests I opted to put asparagus on only half of the casserole. Not realizing I had a brunch item already in mind, Michaela and Adam had decided to cook bacon and eggs for the family. The duel breakfast worked out great because some people were hesitant to try the casserole. While the casserole cooked we all took our places in the living room for the awaited gift opening. My son chose to hand out the gifts this year. He tried to maintain a calm atmosphere by declaring that only one gift at a time would be handed out so we could all see what each other got. I admit I admired his intentions but as expected it did not take long until he caved into the pressure to hand the gifts out faster. I loved watching the excitement on my young grandsons' faces as they opened package after package. I doubt it would have mattered what the packages contained. Unwrapping gifts may just be half the fun of getting them.

     Amidst the slew of presents there were a few special gifts. I had ordered my daughter a set of Russian stacking dolls that depicted The Beatles. The order had been placed months ago but the package had only arrived a few days before Christmas. With all the fancy gift wrap we thought she would get a kick if we presented her with the original shipping paper.

      My husband is referred to as the Grinch throughout the year.  This year his gifts were chosen with his nickname in mind.

       Marc points out that Lauren has inherited her gift wrapping talents from me.

        Lauren was delighted that Santa left her a new camera in a wonderful shade of pink.  Jayred would often borrow her old camera but Santa knows Jayred is not a fan of pink.

           Jr and Gabe must have been very good this year.

          Marc and Sheena had been wanting to get a good picture of the two of them together.  I think I finally succeeded.