it's over already? geez...

Wow.

You know, we have such an incredibly long set up for the Christmas holiday. There's TV specials galore, sales that change almost every hour, messages from preachers, charities and politicians, parties, dinners and all sorts of traditions. And then it comes and goes so quickly, we're all left standing around, thinking, "geez, what happened?"

Yeah, I know I wasn't all that happy about Christmas coming. But I was afraid--afraid that my son wasn't going to have a good day. And as we all know, having a good day for an 8-year old on Christmas means getting the presents he wanted from Santa. However, with help from my family, Santa came through and that little boy of mine had a fabulous time...conking out exhausted in the car--in mid sentence--on the way home.

But more importantly, Kathleen, Matthew and I got to see people we love so much. Our brother in law, Kathleen's older sister's husband, was one. It's like he and I are brothers from childhood. I love that man...and I love his wife, too. I call her, "Sis." Simply put, when I see her, I see my sister. I don't consider either of them in laws.

My cousins were here, to...although my cousin from Washington, DC had to come alone this year as his partner is with his father in NC--the man had surgery. My aunts and uncles were in town, including my uncle's brother who is beginning cancer treatment next week (oh, and just in case you're wondering...he's beating this thing...there is no doubt about that).

And the babies! We have two new little ones in our family this year...how fabulous to watch them grow and play and see what Christmas is about--spending time with our exasperating, loud, nutty, loving, caring, beautiful and close family.

My son has been taken in by this family in a way I never thought possible. If you watched us, you'd see that his interaction is seamless...it's like he's been here since he was born. He loves his aunts and cousins, plays ever so gently with the babies, calls our great grandmother, "Nana" (as does everyone else) and is, as my sister puts it, "a bonus." She feels that while it's wonderful that Kathleen and I found each other, it's even more wonderful that I came with Matthew, that he adds so much to our family gatherings. Thanks, Sis. I love you, too.

While Matthew got tons of presents (as did my future bride and I), we had more fun seeing everyone and just being the big family that we are. There's so much love in this family (sans one person who cannot let go of old and unexplained grudges) it's incredible. Coming from a small family, it's a shock to me...but it's a very good shock.

Many of them are in town until the weekend, and we're getting together so many times--I'm losing count! In fact, a few want to watch me bowl this week--hoping to send me some good vibes for the King of the Hill tournament in Leominster in January. They're all behind me so...and all I did is say, "hey guys, I'm 'turning pro' next month." And since I define "turning pro" as "bowling in a tournament for money," then I must be right!

So, in closing this one, as Urb was mentioning in the forum, I did get the greatest gift of all...family. I'm so glad I have the time to see them as I miss them when I'm here, alone, trying to find a job. Ugh. I'm grateful for them.

Oh, and if you were fortunate enough to get a Dunkin Donuts gift card for Christmas, register it online! You'll get $2.00 added to it, free! Yeah, I'm cheap. LOL