The Holidays are Over!

I don't know why the holidays make me so blue. When I was growing up we called that time when you didn't want to deal with anything or anyone and felt in despair as "putting on your long blue" - referring to the robe you kept on for days on end while your mood changed. I don't know if it is because the holidays never live up to the Hallmark moments the advertisements tell us we should have. Or the fact that once you grow up, Christmases never seem to live up to your childhood memories. Or the worrying about whether your presents are adequate, you have enough food for everyone, your house is decorated fine enough. Whatever the reason, for me, I wish I could put on my long red and the last two weeks of December would just go on by me. But now that I am on the other side of the holidays, I can look back on some good memories.
On the 20th we gathered at Cil's house for an exchange of gag gifts just between the sisters and nieces. Christmas Eve we all went to Lily's to exchange gifts. Thanks everyone for some good stuff. Christmas Day we went to church for some spiritual moments and reminders of what the season is all about. Then Lily fixed dinner for all of us. Last summer I had bought some shuckey beans in Whitesburg and those beans were the highlight of dinner for me. Lily and Daddy could always make those beans taste like something besides "leather britches".
New Year's Eve Lily, Ric, Sam and I celebrated with dinner at York Street Cafe. The dinner was delicious and the atmosphere was festive.

But the highlight of the Holidays was spending January 2 with John's family to celebrate Christmas. The grandbabies made the day for me!

John kept an eye on the babies during dinner to make sure they behaved in front of Nana and Aunt E.


Emerson enjoyed the chocolate cake we had for dessert!

Jake had to bring the Ben 10 toys to the dinner table with him!

He had gotten so hot running around from toy to toy he had to remove his shirt! Just like his Uncle Ray - whose birthday was Jan. 2 - 36 years ago he was a 5 pound ball of white fuzz!

I don't have any pictures of Annie cooking our delicious dinner, picking up the zillion little pieces of toys Nana and Aunt E brought for two babies who won't need another toy for years or trying to remove the oodles of wrapping paper all over the place without throwing away any of those small parts!

I made it through to yesterday - Ivan's birthday - he would have been 68 - I would have been married to "old man"!!!

Thus ends the holiday season for me. On to an exciting 2009!