Highlights (In Reverse order, since that's the easiest way to upload the photos)

A day spent with friends who always help me remember who I am, who always make me laugh, who see the world in inspired ways.

 

For a small example, we laughed waaay too long and hard and in increasingly inventive ways about microwaving small children at IKEA.

So we laid her down for a little IKEA therapy.

Christmas at my mom and dad's. First of all, I have a mom and dad, and they're pretty special. Plus we have this new grand baby in the family, and she totally steals everyone's heart and attention. We just adore her.

Christmas dinner at our house, cooked by my husband.

I was thinking about how nice it is to not be in the traditional position of having to slave over a hot stove for Christmas dinner. Brian does most of it. Now this doesn't make him a freaking saint like many people want to paint a man who knows how to boil water, but it does make a dem fine turkey dinner.

Thoughtful gifts.

My kids insisting that we had to get up at 5 AM on Christmas morning to open gifts. That's our tradition, and no one was too old to let that one go. Actually, the boys got up at 4:00 and could be heard rustling about in the kitchen cooking up some hot chocolate to make the time pass a little more quickly. Cutie pies.

Creative gift wrappings.

 

Decorating gingerbread houses with the kids, whilst munching on chocolate covered almonds and M&M peanuts. Some kids grasped the concept of "house" better than others. Let's just say that being the firstborn does not necessarily make one a super achiever.

Moving on in reverse..... Our night at the Fort Garry Hotel. Another Christmas tradition, and a lovely way to mark Brian's birthday which awkwardly falls ten days before Christmas. We like calling room service for coffee on a silver tray, eating at the Palm restaurant to live piano and saxophone music, wandering around the grand old place pretending that we could afford it any old time, and eating breakfast in the massive dining room.

Then heading back to our cold, dirty car in the morning, opening the trunk and remembering who we really are. The forty loaves of discount bread from McGavins that we picked up prior to our luxurious overnight helps to bring all that home in an instant.

Gifts from my daycare peeps.

These folks are incredibly kind and generous. Every year. All of them.

Moving on backwards: Sam's birthday party. Ten year old boys are pretty cute and interesting.

And laser tag looks like fun if you're into that sort of thing.

I just really liked that Sam invited all his siblings and they willingly came along. That was the super cutest part of all.

And then back some more. We have the funniest tradition with one of my sister wives.

We watch National Lampoons Christmas vacation. Uncle Mel wears his t-shirt, and we don the ugliest Christmas sweaters in my archives. We watch the movie, say all the best lines in unison, snack on chips and chocolate.

Its one of my all time favourite Christmas traditions.

And that's the round up.

I'm feeling a little less blue too, thanks for asking. All of you sure help, as does listening to my own self and not going to/doing things that I know are really not going to help my situation. Acceptance goes a certain mile length as well. As in knowing that this is my brain, it will likely continue to cycle in this familiar and frustrating way, and there's no point in rushing it or hiding it.

Happy New Year, my virtual and totally real friends.

 

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