Hippie Hick Chick: Our Nonstop Christmas Celebrations Via A Nonstop Paragraph

Well it's finally winding down. The hoopla is over and other than still having to contend with the decorations - I'm done with it and happy to see it go. It was good don't get me wrong but until you've had to celebrate Christmas 3 different times in 3 different cities with MY FAMILY - you don't know HOOPLA!!! It's good, it's fun but oh my is it TOO MUCH! It's like Christmas on crack. Most newcomers to the celebration (this is celebration # 3 I'm referring to) usually sit in a state of shock as they watch the event unfold. From trying to get all the little kids to unwrap their presents from each different family (never works) so all can see to trying to get the select adults (my aunt Mickie and my mom) to do the same in some sort of organized fashion to the highlight event - Chinese Christmas for the gals and then the guys. There will be whining and bargaining galore and if all goes well - everyone winds up with the gift they really wanted (usually the one they brought themselves). Sometimes I wonder why we don't all just buy a $30 gift and wrap it up and sit and unwrap in front of everyone so all can see what we bought ourselves but I know, I know...that's not the way it works. It's just usually the way it goes. Which reminds me...my little cousin, Chance, (ok..he's like 24 but still...) took this to an all-time high (or is it low?) this year by buying his little skinny ass a $60 Longhorns shirt in his size. Mind you his size is probably small - medium and there is not another adult male in my family that could squeeze in anything littler than an XL and that would be pushing it...we're talking 2XL for most. So yeah -he knowingly picked it and then laughed when anyone of thought of taking it from him. Little smartass....but smart nonetheless. And at $60 he better be glad none of the older (and bigger) smart asses didn't teach him a lesson. But anyway...it was fun and the day is always topped off with our annual Bingo game which becomes as aggressive a game as if you were at the blackjack table in Vegas. My aunt Mickie brings not only a microphone for calling the numbers but a buttload of prizes that she has wrapped and numbered. This year there were 31 prizes which meant nearly 31 rounds of bingo. Luckily for us who had a 2 hour drive home - several people bingoed at the same time on several rounds! Some of the highlights of this event were my manly, deer-hunting, beer drinking cousins winning boxes of colorful nail polish and cute little Christmas ornaments and then trying to bargain with those that won cute little bags so he could put his nail polish in them before he regifted them to some ol' hag he might pick up in his newfound singledom. Oops...did I say that outloud? Oh anyway - back to joyous events....yes Christmas with my family is crazy, tiring but most of all an event I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world. I truly love my family and I'm thankful my wonderful mother brought me into this world and into this family. I only wish sometimes I could experience more day-to-day experiences with them but I know that would probably make me not relish the times I do get to share with them.

Now...here's some pics of the grand finale Christmas at the Riley's:

I got a gnome...and he's riding a turtle...I love gnomes!

Janet brought this great gift to Aunt Mickie....it's poems Chance wrote when he was in jr high.

She got choked up and couldn't read it so she made the author read it.

Needless to say - this is kinda what we all looked like by the time he got through it...and he barely choked through (considering what he does next...he deserved it...read on)

The men outside grilling our steaks (yeah - it's our family tradition...no turkey for us folks)!

YUMMY!!! Kinda makes ya hungry huh?

Apparently something has Michael and Monty really tickled...probably that ONCE AGAIN I asked for my steak medium rare and I always end up with it well done. Hmmm...German must be in on it as well!