Beneath the Wraps

             After more than two weeks of keeping Ally at home they finally sent her back to school.   I suspect more just to get her out of the house than to believe that she was well enough – but Clair had wanted to wrap gifts and has asked Jaime to assist.   I did not assist as I was in the back room listening to Roland.           Clair says she has always hated Christmas – though I don’t know if “always” is really the case or if perhaps she found something good about it when she was a child.   When she met Biff and Ally she fell in love with Ally and started to look forward to spending Christmas with her.   I didn’t see what gifts they brought but I suspect may have gone over budget – but maybe not.   They did not purchase all that is intended for Ally.   But still . . .           When the boys were younger we always had simpl...

            Jenna likes surprises and says she would like to be surprised for her birthday.  But things started showing up in the mail that she herself had picked out.  She knew the packaged CD was Panic at the Disco.  She recognized the stickers that Roland had asked her about.  I didn ’ t even bother telling her that her stylist had arrived and enclosed it in a CD case with a note about surprises.  I also opened her sticker package and did the same.  Then I hid her Panic at the Disco CD and wrapped the two CD cases along with a chocolate orange and a Tee Shirt that Roland had purchased.            I ’ m sure I could have wrapped the Hamm piggy bank that he purchased at a later time, but chose not to as she was in the house ever since we brought it home – except for going to seminary (I am pressed for time as it is – wrapping the bank would have lessened whatever time I gave myself to get ready)...

             On Sunday Jenna took Bonnie for a walk and made a note of all the houses she wanted to go caroling to.   We started out Monday morning going to Dollar General and made a purchase of 12 candy filled candy canes which we would leave with each household.                 Before we left the house Jenna took this picture:               We both enjoy singing – she is just better at it.   I probably sound like a moose in heat. There was no one home at the first house we went to but found friends at the next two and left our treats.   The third house we’d gone to was my favorite.   For the girl who answered the door is quite shy and I have never seen her smile, but she did yesterday.   We continued on our way stopping at various houses to sing and stopped when the door would open and leave our little treat.   Jenna had such a glorious t...

                When I first joined my family I believed Tony was pretty much a holiday Scrooge.   He said his favorite holiday was Thanksgiving, but he seemed to hate Christmas.   He made no effort to hide his negative emotions.   Fortunately that changed sometime after Jenna was born.   His feelings toward Christmas seem to become more positive with each passing year - or at least that is what I hear in his voice.   It is so awesome to have him enjoying that again.                 Rochelle and Tony's original plans this year were to send their gifts with their brothers who had planned to visit us during the holidays.   Only "when" turned into "if' and then "not this year".   Tony called the day the package was mailed and said that it would be late.   I am glad it didn't come before Christmas as I knew their gift to Jenna would pu...

          When Carrie and Randy’s gift arrived at our house, Jenna decided it would be the first one which would be opened.  We played a game of Monopoly though there’s at least 20 games in our possession that I’d rather play.  After I lost and Jenna forfeited out of boredom, we turned on the Muppet Christmas Carol though we really don’t have a great copy.  I fell asleep while it played.   We had planned to open our first gift on Christmas Eve after we watched “It’s A Wonderful Life ” but since I had fallen asleep during Muppets, Jenna decided to open the gift before  “It’s A Wonderful Life” started.  It was a game!  Because of the time, we decided we would play in the morning instead of right then.  Jenna decided to go to bed after only an hour into the movie. Between 9:30 and 10:00 last night Roland retrieved the presents from my closet.  I spread the gifts beneath the tree....