Whirlwind Christmas Week

Many a family festivity has been happening. Last Friday night (December 21st) was the firm's Christmas party. When Rebekah and I returned home from that, her brother Mike (from Atlanta) and his friend Cinara (from Brazil) had arrived at our house. They stayed with us that night.

Then on Saturday we all six drove up to Grand Rapids to Rebekah's parents' house. We exchanged gifts with her parents while we were there. We also attended Rebekah's mom's extended family's Christmas event on Sunday. We dashed through the snow to get there in a mini lake effect blizzard. Then we drove back home from Michigan on Christmas Eve, getting back about a half day later than we had planned. We unpacked and did our gift exchange for the four of us that night.

On Christmas Day we hosted the Hubbard family here (my parents, my brother Jason and his wife Melissa, and the kids Bryce and Brendan). We exchanged gifts, ate a feast, and watched some movies.

Then on Wednesday (December 26th) I returned to work for three days. On Thursday I had lunch with Phil Webster who was visiting from Durham.

Thursday night, Rebekah's other brother Jeff and his wife Christie and kids (Misty and Aiden) stopped here on their way back to Michigan from North Carolina. Rebekah's parents and Mike and Cinara came as well. We had 12 people staying at our the house for two nights! Crazy, but a good time. We exchanged gifts with Rebekah's brothers' and families, ate way too much food, etc.

Everyone went back home Saturday late afternoon. We spent the evening cleaning, putting things away, and catching our breath. And Tori went to a friend's birthday party. Just an insane kind of week!

It was a great Christmas, but so much different than any we've ever had in the past. It will take a few days to process it all for me. The past decade of Christmases were usually about planning and executing Christmas Eve church services, then having a late Christmas brunch with friends, then doing nothing for four or five days afterward. Not at all what happened this year.

I'm way behind on my holiday "sitting around and doing nothing" -- and going out to cash in all the gift cards I received, and stuff like that. Maybe New Year's Day will be good for that!