My family, like a lot of families around the world, celebrates Christmas. I say this because I don't want to be one of those people who behave as though their traditions and world-views are universal. I hope this impresses you. If this doesn't impress you, I've wasted my time and might as well have been one of those people. Back to my point...
Our Christmas this year was really good, I think. I've been on holiday from work since 19 December, and I've been enjoying my time at home. Besides our home Christmas celebration on Christmas morning, we spent Sunday, 23 December at my mother's house. My sister and her family were also there. I showed up hungry and left stuffed. The kids got presents. We brought home a box of homemade fudge, the making of which was a long-time Christmas tradition my mother took over from her mother and has mastered quite thoroughly. On Christmas Eve we went to Susan's mother's house and had a wonderful lasagna dinner with them before exchanging gifts. Holly, my niece, cooked the lasagna and it was perfect. (Holly is the daughter of Katie, Susan's twin sister.) On Christmas Day we traveled down to Hamilton, Texas to see my Dad's side of the family. We had food and participated in the Chinese gift exchange. (I'm not sure why it's called "Chinese.") It was good to see Dad. He's still doing well, having been out of prison and off drugs for more than two years now. He seems content and settled for the first time in his life. He has his own little camper that he bought and fixed up and has a lot for it in a very small RV park just off the Hamilton town square. Living in it is something between domestication and camping, which suits him perfectly.
Yesterday, 26 December, was River's 16th birthday. We took him, his girlfriend Jennifer and his cousin Josh (Katie's son) to Laser Quest and dropped them off to play a few games. While they were playing Susan and I took Robyn and Rayn (our two girls) and Teanna (the daughter of Dana, my sister) to see Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie cartoon at a dollar theatre near Laser Quest. The movie was actually really good, and the dollar theatre was surprisingly nice also. Yesterday evening we had some family over to the house for a little birthday party. River added to the mass of money he's saving to buy a MIDI workstation (a high-end keyboard) (keyboard as in "electric piano," not a computer keyboard.) He's got about $1300 in the bank for it now, and he and I will go shopping for the workstation some time in the next day or two.
And now I'm here in the coffee shop while everyone sleeps at home typing this update for all of you who are, I know, dying to know what I've been doing. I hope that - whether you celebrate Christmas or something else or nothing at all at this time of year - you have been happy and well. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you've been up to. I'd love to hear from you.
Hello, friends. Happy New Year.
Love.
