Christmas

My family is an impatient bunch, so we never wait till Christmas Day to open presents (plus, several members of my family are rather famous for NOT being morning people. Cross an ogre with a gorilla and add a bit of troll and you get the idea.)
It's a tradition that we always open presents on Christmas Eve, and because the kids were starting to get tired we let them open their presents first.
Opening presents is always fun, but there's something about the uninhibited enthusiasm from kids (a.k.a. greed with no sense of shame) that makes it especially enjoyable.

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Gabe is rather new to the whole business of opening presents, but he caught on pretty quickly.
His choo-choo train from Lynn and Rob was a big hit, and he and his cousin Michelle traded hot-rods all evening (Michelle also got a riding toy).
Michelle and Gabe are only a few days difference in age, so they have lots of fun playing together (and stealing each other's toys.)
I tried to get a good picture of my BiL Mike, but he wouldn't cooperate.

(hee hee!)

It was nice to meet Lynn's fiancee, Rob. He did a good job of remaining calm among the craziness that is our family. Thankfully his first Christmas with us was more subdued than Handyman's.
(Handyman's first introduction to our family Christmases involved the rather shocking sight of a skinny Swede and holiday underpants. I'll leave it at that, and I'll let my uncle remain nameless. Whoops, sorry Gary! :)

I think my family liked the gifts that we gave them. My brothers Nathan and Josh got the same thing, a hand knit beanie hat (my own pattern) and a fleece blanket.
Angie got a cardigan, which looked great on her. I was so thankful for that, because my sisters are ti-ny, and knitting a sweater for them is rather like knitting doll clothes.
I think one of my New Year's resolutions will have to be that I will try harder to knit sweaters that fit. My sister Lynn's sweater looked beautiful, but would have fit a hand puppet better than Lynn because I stupidly shrunk it in the dryer before wrapping it. Grrrrrr (smacking head with palm of hand). Oh well, I'm knitting her another one in the frantic hope that THIS time it will fit!

I myself got some fantastic swag, and I'm taking my life into my hands by daring to post some of them, lest I forget someone's gift and they think I don't like it. (If that is the case, please, please chalk it up to my forgetfulness rather than my thankfulness. I loved EVERYTHING I got!)

Lynn read my mind (*cough cough* got the unabashed hint/begging) and gave me a fantastic pair of leather boots. A good set of boots makes you look taller, skinnier, and smarter. If you disagree please don't ruin my happy delusions.

My Auntie Erna and Uncle Gary gave me an exquisite music charm necklace. I was surprised how much I love this, because usually I don't go for obviously musical references. This little thing, however, is so dainty and delicate looking that I am completely besotted with it.(Had to get a shot of my nails in there somewhere!)

My sister Angie is an amazing crafter, and despite her crazy schedule managed to crochet an elegant and squoishy scarf (yes, it's a word, and this is my blog so just hush) that is a work of art. The stitch pattern she used is just lovely.
The necklace was a gift from my Mum and Dad, which is a good thing, because they gave Angie one too and I was tempted to steal hers until I opened my present and saw I got one too. I am very self-sacrificing except when it comes to jewelry. Or yarn. Or boots.

Oh be quiet.