I love Christmas so much. Christmas Eve was a good day. The girls and I spent the morning cooking getting ready for the evening and breakfast Christmas morning. My parents and brother arrived around two. My brother had really pushed to make Christmas Eve an event. Because he is my brother and because he was the baby for so long, he knows that I have a weakness for him where his wish is basically my command.

We made more food when they got here and around 5PM started eating it. People weren’t terribly hungry but we snacked until it was time to go for the light show. The parking spaces were full but we parked on the side of the road and could still see. We left early in order to make it for church. Josh gave his final sermon as the assistant pastor at the church. It was emotional but I didn’t have much time to think about it.

Before that we had almost gotten into a fight. Elianna was gone spending the evening with Miles. So we were taking care of Zorro and took him out for a walk. While we were walking I said something about needing his help a little later to wrap presents. He said something about just wanting to be lazy and next year we’re going to have everything done by the 15th. My bubble was momentarily popped at this break in momentum.

I said if something happens to me and next year he is in charge of Christmas then he can do it that way if he wants to, but this is how I do Christmas. It is likely not going to change and is just who I am as a person. My mood descended because up until this moment I’d been thinking he was having nearly as much fun as I was and was my happy assistant along for the Christmas ride. I wasn’t tired yet but eventually would be.

Well anyway, it did hurt, but in a little time I realized he’d been helping me this whole time without complaint and responds positively to my asks 99% of the time. So he said he was sorry and didn’t want bitterness to ruin Christmas. I thanked him for saying that and told him what I said about the 99%. So later it was just me wrapping and setting things out and resetting the kitchen at 4AM. I enjoyed the time, reflecting on many gifts.

Christmas morning was nice and my parents, brother, and Uncle Glenn were here again. My parents gave me a card for graduation. We had a nice meal and everyone ate in the living room. To me family gatherings seem less awkward that way. I’d bought a game at Barnes & Noble called The Hygge Game. It is a card game where you ask the people around you questions, so we did that. Everyone participated and had a chance.

By the afternoon our guests had left and by the later afternoon I was starting to miss them. My dad had just been saying how the Christmas let down hits around 4PM. I didn’t think I related to that anymore, and it never really felt like a letdown. It was more just a sadness that the time had passed and was over, combined with a gratitude for the sweet time it had been. My brother and I texted each other about it around 4PM.

The rest of the evening was just us hanging out. Elianna was at Miles’ family Christmas for a while and the rest of us played a game she had gotten for Ethan and Laura. Zorro watched from the deck and barked through the window. He likes to be part of the activities when there is some. When she got home we were going to watch a Christmas movie but we didn’t end up doing that. Instead we talked and laughed at Hoyleton videos.