| Dec. 27th, 2006 @ 06:39 am Yuletide Joy |
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Its funny how much saner the Yule season has gotten with the wicked witch of the East gone and my brother's new wife in charge. The entire extended family seems to have moved into the same direction, even when it comes to gift giving. For instance:
Most of the gifts given were practical in nature, and tailored to the individual
We all seem to re-use last year's gift bags (to reduce trash and cost) and no one minds a single bit
Some gifts even came from consignment shops...and once again, no one cared!!!
For one, we finally convinced my mother to stop wracking her brain over gifts for the two adult males and just give them some clothes and gift certificates. Xiomburg was actually giddy to get the certificates, and wanted to rush out and redeem them last night. (We asked the same of my mother-in-law...cuts down on her having to pay for shipping). I also have to say its great to have kids that appreciate what is given to them, even down to the "Go-Fish" deck of cards for Monkey and the Chess set for Wolf. (Jazzy-Cat was, of course, oblivious to everything.) I think the fave of my gifts was the pizza stone (note to self...don't let Xiomburg use it or try to clean it) and the gift certificates to our local hardware store. Up until it was time to open the packages, I kinda felt like a putz for being madame practical this year and buying an emergency set and a tool set for my brother and his wife, but when my brother starting gushing over them, I felt like a Queen. And of course, mom (and I) got the greatest present of all....Monkey helped her cook (he's an awesome chef for a 7-year-old), and later Xiom and Wolf helped clean up.
Of course, it helps that my brother's 2nd wife is a lot more like me. She has decided this year to stay home with my nephews, and has become a consignment shop queen to save money. Plus earlier this year she refurbished a China cabinet she picked up somewhere. If she decides to not go back to work, I might have to talk to her about starting a garden in that gigantic back yard of theirs...
We're going to have to make a call to my In-Laws today. They said they would call on Christmas, but we heard nothing. Then yesterday, we heard there were damaging storms in their area of Florida on Christmas, including tornadoes just West of Jacksonville. Having lived in Florida, Texas, and California, they've lived through just about everything already, but the coincidence of tornadoes and no phone calls makes one a bit nervous. And speaking of Florida, it looks like my sister-in-law is still living down there with her BF. Wonder if she's back in the boat industry... |
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