December 25, 2007
Christmas 2007
It was snowing heavily when Christmas Eve fell last evening. We were all curled in front of the fire, watching Christmas movies and munching on cookies and hot chocolate. We'd just barely finished off some Monte Cristo Sandwiches, thick with Dijon mustard, Guyere cheese and black forest ham. Owen went to bed, oblivious of the impending festivities the next morning. George and I played a double dose of Scrabble, finished off "It's a Wonderful Life" and then hit the hay.
Owen, with some persuasion, slept until 7am and spent some time cuddling in our bed, watching Robots while we dozed. We opened our eyes to a dazzlingly white Christmas, with a robin's egg blue sky and the trees heavy with snow. After coffee, we all gathered in the living room and launched into stocking stuffers. Miles was thrilled with his new hedgehog, which grunts when squeezed. He also got a new Kong Frisbee after he and his partner in crime had decimated several of the neighbor's dollar store discs. Timber was less than impressed with his booty, except for the large bag of multi colored treats. We had purchased him a treat ball- one of those puzzle games for canines. I should have realized that Timber does not care for anything that requires actual work. Why try so hard for a few treats when I can follow around the small human and pick up crumbs like a vacuum cleaner? So much easier. George got some much needed socks and I got a copy of Jenny Owen Youngs new album downloaded straight to the ipod. Owen was thrilled with his new batch of matchbox cars, which I scored as a set at a yard sale last summer and saved until now. He also loved his new books from Grandma and Grandpa Jones, shaped like an airplane and a dump truck.
I whipped up some gingerbread waffles for breakfast and we sat together at the table, sipping orange juice and listening to Christmas carols. Shortly after we launched into the real mayhem and began opening presents. Owen got a collection of items for his kitchen, including real metal pots and pans and food, as well as dishes and utensils. Most of Owen's gifts, in fact, were in a large part thanks to Grandma, who is certainly keeping Amazon's toy department profitable. This kept him enthralled for awhile and so George and I exchanged our gifts. George scored a much needed Craftsman toolbox and I got some pajamas, a book about trees, and a tool set of my own. Owen was beginning to get the hang of opening packages at this point and was eager to launch into more. We opened his playhut tunnel set next, a maze of collapsible tunnels and tents complete with basketball hoop and ball pit. Seriously, this thing is mammoth and expands into a structure that takes up our entire living room, then folds into two small bags as light as a feather. George and I had also bought Owen a small red, rocking chair from Ikea which required some minor assembly. The last present was the one I knew Owen would be the most fascinated with, a Radio Flyer classic tricycle. This is the real thing, metal with the original bell and tassels on the handlebars. While he wasn't big enough to reach the pedals yet, he spent some time cruising around the house with Daddy on the back step. 
After a quick clean up inside, we head outside to clean up the driveway itself. Nearly five or six inches of powder dry snow had fallen since yesterday, topping off the other six inches or so we'd received earlier in the week. After snowblowing, Owen got to tromp around the yard and Dad even hauled him for awhile out back in his sled. After lunch, we packed him off for a nap and while there were some tears about having to say goodnight to his new cars, he's sleeping soundly now. 
This evening we plan to cap the night off with a dinner at our friend's, Lauren and Scott. After putting the little man to bed we'll probably stay up far too late, drinking wine, playing games, watching movies and laughing. A fabulous, idyllic day that I spent entirely in my pajamas. That's what I call a perfect Christmas.