Third Christmas 2020...ish

Third Christmas didn't hit until after the New Year, but it still counts! Carrie, Shane, and I drove down to Grandma and Grandpa's for a visit.

There were big hugs!

Grandma had cooked up a roast for lunch.

My eyes were on the food, but Shane's eyes went straight to the Christmas tree. 

"Look, Dad! Presents!"

"Those are just decorations."

"Nuh-uh!"

We were all wearing Christmas light necklaces Carrie doled out in the car to help keep it a Christmas mood.

Grandma plated Shane out first and then we all got to dig in!

Grandma was thrilled when Shane and I both used the sauce she'd made for the beef (horseradish, sourcream, and who knows what else). "You have no idea how happy this makes me!"

Shane ate well. The food was excellent, but he may have been partly motivated by presents. 

He tore in with abandon! Once he opened one, he was on to the next. 

The good thing was Shane's exuberance was slightly contagious. Grandpa and Grandma got a kick out of his excitement.

Meanwhile, I went counter-culture. I took my time to sloooowly open anything handed to me. Shane nearly jumped out of his skin as I gently undid tape and folds!

Shane would go nuts after my turn. He accidentally started to dig into Carrie's traditional can of mandarin oranges!

He got a little light ribbing for nearly breaking tradition, but everyone was in a merry mood.

We'd brought some presents to bestow as well, but Grandma and Grandpa had been thinking on a different scale than us. Chris and Rachel had left some gifts behind as well! We hadn't expected any and I felt bad. They've always been overseas or far away. We need to get the cousins together again.

The big surprise was Grandma's been creative. A group of her friends have been meeting about once a month to work on custom nutcrackers! 

This is the sort of task you have no idea how long it really takes unless you've tried something similar. She spent a lot of time making our nutcrackers!

Carrie's was decked out as a hunt master. It was spot on! Shane had a TKD uniform and a fishing hat (and looked a little Luke Skywalker-esque). I had a beard, some books, a John Deere hat, and a mullet (Do I look that redneck nowadays?).

I didn't make the "Whoa, those look fragile" comment, but I was thinking it! We've given them a home up on top of the entertainment center where cats would like to tread, but can't now that we've moved objects away....probably.

Unfortunately, it was only a day trip. We drove down, had a bunch of fun, and then drove back for chores. I've told Carrie I'd be happy to have a "working board rate" where someone could do a bunch of chores and have close to free board. The money to offset costs is nice, but I'd be willing to forgo some of that for time saved!

And that's the last of the Christmas posts from 2020. It was a fantastic Winter Break!