Once again, the spread was fantastic; all the holiday food one could possibly want with a huge dessert table in the dining room.
Margy, Jeff and all four of their boys came for Christmas this year. They've only done that a few times since they moved to the mountains, so that made it extra fun. When they were kids, the cousins all loved to hang out with each other. The results were usually a giant ball of kids, ages ranging over decades because there was never a clear cut off age or a gap between kids. Now a significant bunch of them are legal adults and they still love hanging out together. My parent's oldest Grandkid is nearly 38 and their youngest just turned 4. In fact, Tot is younger than two of their great grand kids. Uncle Baby wasn't thrilled that Xena and Babalouie didn't come but he had a blast anyway.
We ate, we drank, we told stories, we drank coffee, we caught up with all the developments in people's lives. The most exciting at the moment are Katelyn and Chad's new son, Ziggy, and Margy's son Logan's new career path.
When Logan was in 3rd grade, his lousy teachers declared him "ineducable". So Margy pulled him out of that useless school and home schooled him for a year. First of all, she discovered that he couldn't read. She fixed that. By the end of one school year, she had him up to speed and put him into a decent school. He was one semester away from graduating from college when he realized what he wanted to do with his life. He dropped out of school, enrolled in a sound technician program and is currently doing an internship with a big sound firm in Nashville. He's already been offered full time employment as soon as he graduates. He's in career heaven. I talked with him about it and he practically glows, he's so happy. The 'ineducable' boy could be touring with Buffett next summer. His old teachers can suck on that.
One of the funniest moments of the evening came towards the end; Heidi and her kids were saying their goodbye's, hugging their cousins etc...Heidi was wearing my fur coat.
The party was great fun but the best part, for me, was later. I stayed after to help clean up and when the place was spotless, six of us sat around the dining room table talking until midnight. I'd had no intention of staying so late (again) but we make so few opportunities to have small gatherings. We talked about our kids, places we've been, places we'd like to go, movies, books...it was great.
By the time I headed for home, the fog had grown so thick I never went more than 40 mph on 494. The upside was that there was no traffic left on the roads but I can't decide if I agree with Yukon Cornelius or Hermy as to whether it was as thick as pea soup or peanut butter. I'm not crazy about either so I have no preference.
But everyone made it home in one piece and another fabulous, fun filled Christmas celebration was in the record books.