There's a Happy Feeling Nothing in the Woooorld Can Buy...

I can let a few cats out of the bag now.

After much orchestration, I bought a Wii for the family for Christmas. We had agreed (most emphatically by Husband who is from a Dungeons and Dragons, Intellivision, board game background) to forgo gifts to each other and blow all the dough on a Wii. This was in October.

By mid-December, Wii-less, I was all ready to go out and get some emergency gifts for the kids. Santa was going to be really good to them, as well, but I felt they needed something under the tree.

I had my friend Slowplum doing much of the legwork. She called two people she knew who worked at places that sold Wii consoles. It was her sister-in-law that came through. When the shipment came in to the store she managed, she called Slowplum who called Husband's secretary who helped to track me down and the kids' school secretary got the call and buzzed me over the p.a. system to get my ass down to the office and take Slowplum's call. I left immediately, right in the middle of a bake sale I was helping with, got it and hid it back at the school in the principal's office.

I thought I was going to get a HUGE reaction when it was opened. All I got from Husband was, "Oh. My. God." And then he turned his head to me and said, "That's nice, Jen. Thanks." I stood there, gap-mouthed. Of course, I'm forgetting that Husband is a bit of a milquetoast in the emotions department. He's not one for overt public displays of affection, though he still puts his hand on the small of my back at parties if he's feeling comfortable. Still, everyone is happy. Slowplum and her family are coming over Saturday to indoctrinate us into Wii-world.

We had a good Christmas. Actually, Baby Boy announced to everyone many times that it was the best Christmas ever. He was wide-eyed about everything. We went to Husband's grandmother a few days before and got to see a few aunts, uncles and cousins, too. Gramma is getting quite hunched over and so incredibly intolerant, but she's still on her own and maintains her own home. She's a marvel, really. Mind you, the oldest sibling does a lot to help her out and this particular aunt isn't a well woman. She has breast cancer among a host of other illnesses.

Christmas Day was spent at my grandmother's, another woman approaching 90 and still living at her own home. My uncle lives in the basement and is treated like crap. Mind you, he gives it right back. But the driveway is shoveled, the grass is mowed. My grandmother (with help from my aunts, mother and one of my cousins) makes a hot meal for everyone. That would be around 40 of us. My contribution was a Greek pasta salad and biscotti that Grandma quickly hid for herself. The kids went off to play video games with the basement uncle. Husband hung around his golf buddy who is also my uncle by marriage and only 10 years older than we are. I flitted around, trying to make myself useful in the kitchen, talking to almost everyone, and finally settling down with my cousins, some 22 years younger than I am, with my Taboo game. It was girls vs. boys and the boys defeated us soundly. One cousin brought her boyfriend of three years for the first Christmas. Surprisingly, we didn't scare him off. They recently bought a condo together but it won't be ready until 2009.

Boxing Day is always at my parents'. Mum makes finger food and the kids go hog wild. I love going to my parents' house because I CAN set the kids free and between one of the adults, all kids are well-taken care of.

The other cat left to be set out of the bag is that I can safely say that I'm going to be an auntie again. Baby Sister is about 17 weeks pregnant and everyone is just thrilled. So next Christmas will be just a wee bit different. And I can't wait!