christmas time is come (and gone...)

I can't believe Christmas is over... after all the time spent preparing and anticipating the holiday, it's always over far too fast. Luckily it was wonderful, and I got to spread it out over three long, lovely days. It's hard to have a bad holiday when everyone in your life is so great :) On Friday night I met my family at the White Rock for pizza and a long, rowdy discussion about life and the ways we're meant to live it, and then we went home and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" (because it is, and that movie is awesome).

I spent the morning of Christmas Eve making an apple pie (per my father's request), playing Bananagrams, and generally being lazy, until it was time to get dolled up and await the arrival of our guests!

(Getting the party started...)

I found my Christmas dress at Goodwill again this year, and after some serious hemming (and shoulder-pad removal surgury), I thought it was quite adorable with its little green bow...

(Here's what I wore last year)

The party started with some friends and drinks and lots and lots of food. Things got a little wilder as the night wore on (especially once the caroling began...):

On Christmas morning, it snowed:

We ate (and drank...):

And opened presents:

And ate (and drank), again:

(salad, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, rolls, applesauce--Thanksgiving redux for me, but everyone else also enjoyed a roast)

Last night, my longtime (think: since birth) girlfriends and I had our annual gift exchange at my friends' house, where we had more delicious food (and drink) and stayed up wayyyyy too late (for someone with work in the AM, an hour away) chatting about everything under the sun:

Cheers! (and Merry Christmas :)