We started off the Christmas celebrations on Sunday morning with our traditional gift exchange with the Terrys. Our names were supposedly randomly drawn out of a hat to see who would give to who, but somehow Mom and Pam ended up with each other, and went shopping with each other, and picked out new purses, which they then gave to each other…fishy... Mom even looks a little guilty in this picture.
Sunday afternoon was spent building our elaborate gingerbread houses, an annual tradition. This year we had quite a crowd, with Mom, Dad, Tyler, Sarah, Mariah, Nona, and G-Daddy, Carter, Rachel, Marcy, Bruce, Drew, and Dan and me. I was given a really hard time last year because I concocted an igloo home for penguins rather than a real house, so I went in a more classic direction this year. But no help really, I still got crap from the peanut gallery.
The gingerbread craziness starts...
Dan's house.
Drew's house, with a candy pile out back.
Drew's house, with a candy pile out back.
Carter's lean-to... he is famous in our house for the ugliest gingerbread houses and didn't disappoint this year. I love the fire pit out front!
My house.
Mariah's flower-themed house.
Tyler and Sarah took one of my leftover apple cider donuts and made a hot tub for their house!
Here they are high-fiving each other for this great idea.
Rachel's house - a twizzler log cabin!
Marcy and Bruce's chocolate house.
Gingerbread house row.
Here’s me and Oakley enjoying the party from the floor. (It’s a bit hard to see in this picture, but Oakley is wearing his fabulous, reflective Classic Hound collar, made specially for him by my friend Ellen!)
The weather was beautiful, so we did a lot of walking and winter hiking. On Christmas eve morning, we walked along Beauchamp on Rockport Harbor.
Oakley looks back in at Rockport harbor.
Looking out to sea...
Mom and me, all bundled up.
On Christmas morning, the Kyles headed up Beech Hill and then back to the house to try out Drew’s new XBOX 360 game Dance Dance Revolution. In all the pictures, I have this weird, possessed look on my face as I stare at the TV. Maybe this is why video games are just not for me…
Back at the house, Bruce, Marcy, and Drew look through the wedding album I made them.
Dancing!
After Christmas with the Kyles, Dan and I headed back to my parents house to celebrate with them. Here’s Mom admiring the end tables Dad has been working on in his friend Jim’s woodworking studio since February. We never really believed that he was doing anything (productive, that is) on those Wednesday nights, but these tables were just absolutely stunning. We all quickly put in our requests for new furniture.
We spent a few more days in Camden/Rockport, working and playing and visiting with Dan’s childhood friend Brendan and his wife, Kate, before heading south to Boston to stay a night with Laura and Brad, and then continuing on to Martha’s Vineyard for a couple of days. That's up next.
p.s. There are a few new books on the sidebar!
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