Daniel, I didn't get a chance to write yesterday, but I wanted to say how sorry I am that you got caught up in such a misunderstanding. Getting fired sucks, period. Just before Christmas is horrible and I'm sure having someone think you are a rascist is very upsetting also. (Gee, aren't I making you feel better!) I'm so sorry - I'm sending lots of warm Christmas vibes towards you. I'm glad you have Andi!

Feeling better this morning. I hope everyone has a good day. It's really been a crappy week for Buffistas. We deserve a nice holiday weekend.

{{Cash }} and her family

good morning . I am sending out lot of vibes and peaceful thoughts I want these two days to be nice to those I love. Which means you all.

And I went to the Norad sight to see if Santa had been to my sister's in Japan . he has . yay

Merry Christmas, Buffistas. Off to Maine.

Errors and misunderstandings between people is so popular in plays and movies. Not so much fun when you're involved in one.

My new mantra: I do not want to be a wacky premise.

Merry Christmas Eve!

I am sending out lot of vibes and peaceful thoughts I want these two days to be nice to those I love. Which means you all.

Yes, this.

I've been up since 5:45, toddling around in blogland (this Christmas message from Kid Oakland was incredibly moving, and - even though a recycled post from a year ago - a nice quiet commentary on all the media yipping this year about the War on Christmas) and wrapping presents.

The presents didn't take long, as it was only Hec, Emmett, and Emmett's mom -- this year my family did the pulling-names-out-of-a-hat thing, so my only other familial present duty was to my brand-new brother-in-law. With the help of suggestions from the NYistas, I got him a subscription to Time Out NY, memberships at the Met and MOMA, and a gift certificate to Zabar's. Also a tie, but I had to do that without Buffista assistance. It was so, so good to do it this way; it totally de-stressed the pre-Christmas period (much less shopping, much less money fretting), and it was so much easier to put together something really useful and fun and meaningful for just one person.

My other brother, the one who just separated from his wife, is getting in this afternoon, in time to come to the Zmayhem Christmas Eve dinner, but he's feeling, justifiably, unsociable and will just be heading straight over to our mom's place and hibernating until Christmas dinner.

And now it's all morning-y and quiet, but I have to jump into some clothes in a minute and hover by the front door of the nearest Trader Joe's in order to sprint in at 9:00:01 and, fates willing, get the hell out before 9:30.

Poke, poke. Prod, prod.

Entertain me, llamas of fire.

tapdances past WS, juggling llamas

Ta-dah!!!

I'm off and running. Driving 150 miles to Mom's. Doing the Christmas eve stuff with the family there. Driving back tonight to finish getting stuff together here and starting cooking. I don't think sleep is an option tonight. Hope Santa doesn't skip the house when he sees we're not all asleep. Tomorrow I'll have a bunch here for 3 varieties of lasagna and stuff. Then Monday I get to see Sheryl and G for lunch here then off to NY. Sometime in there I need to do laundry and pack.

Chances are I won't get here much. Have a wonderful and joyous Christmas, Hanukkah, weekend, and life. Internet is dial up on the only phone line when I am up north, so limited visits here.

Please, let no more bad shit happen in my absence. Enough was had quite a while back already.

Hallo! Merry Christmas Eve!

I had never heard of either the nuts being called that, or of Eenie Meenie Miney Moe having anything other than a tiger in it. Huh.

The problem with my sister being married is that now there are THREE guys (against the three women) who want to watch football. No way around it.

My lasagna just came out of the oven. I'm contemplating cooking the turkey breast now. We dithered over ham or turkey, so we got a tiny ham, and a hotel style turkey breast, instead of the full bird. I still have to make pies. I never did make cookies, and don't think there's time for that.

We need to have the kids at church by 4:10, for choir rehearsal. At 4:30, they have the dress rehearsal for the Christmas play/service (the whole service is led by children), which is from 5:00-6:00pm. Then we'll head to eldest sister-in-law's house to spend a couple of hours with Scott's family. Tomorrow, we'll have Christmas here at home, just us and my mum.

We used to try to see both families on Christmas day, but that's become too difficult now that the children are older. In a few years, I'd like to start having the Christmas Eve gathering here. With the fat man visiting tonight, and since the children are still young enough to care about being in the play, it would be impossible (or impossibly stressful).

Generally, we have our parents over for Christmas breakfast, freeing Scott's parents to go to one of their other children's houses for Christmas dinner. Since we'll be going to church tomorrow morning (our first Christmas on a Sunday, since we started going to church), we won't be hosting them, tomorrow. It seems kind of funny to think we'll only see them, tonight. I think we'll play tomorrow by ear, and see if they can't come here on the way home from their dinner at my other s-i-l's house.

Playing it by ear is, imo, the only way to enjoy the busy-ness. I miss the days when I didn't cook the Christmas dinner, but love that my children will have Christmas memories set in our home, not just their grandparents' homes. Oh. Somehow I just made myself miss my grandparents and my Dad, far too much.

To those who celebrate, Merry Christmas.