It was a nice Xmas. My brother’s kids weren’t sick like they were at Thanksgiving and I have to say that not having child-puke splashing all about enhances any holiday. To be honest, the kids don’t bother me a bit and I enjoyed having them around. The kid’s parents, however, need to chill a bit on the whole parenting thing. THAT was stressing me out far more than the little ones.
Not having my dad around was odd. There were several times where I just felt he should be chiming in on a conversation or should be sitting next to the fire reading a book. Sigh. But we carried on. We did the santa thing, the gifts thing. I helped my mom set up this nifty glowing horse and sled. I think having the kids around helped with his absence. They made the whole event feel a lot larger, not smaller.