Party Hardy

We have been going, going, going with all things Christmas for three weeks straight-- and we're not even close to being done.  Abe and I had talked about scaling back our Christmas festivities this year, but I don't think we've succeeded.  You would think we actually enjoy all these parties or something:)

This would be the table for young ladies at the ward Christmas party.  No boys allowed.

Here are the boys-- singing their hearts out to "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Jingle Bells".  Yes, my Clark was belting it out at the top of his lungs.  The boy who lip-synced through nine years of Primary because he hated to sing, couldn't sing Rudolf loud enough. 
Oh, interesting little question for you.  How do you pronounce the name of the red-nosed reindeer?  There was some discussion at a neighboring table.  Is it Rudof (silent "l") or Rudolf (prounounced "l").  Of course I already know the right answer, but what do you think?

Sweet little Cannon cannot get enough of our Elf on the Shelf.  Our's is named Gelf.  Several of my little piano students also have an Elf at their homes and when they come over they want to know where ours is hiding that day. 

Friday night we had our book club Christmas party where we do a white elephant gift exchange.  There are usually a couple of actual good books in the mix, but the rest are recycled from last years book exchange or pulled off our book shelves as duplicates or no longer worth the space they are taking up.  The original idea was to give a copy of the best book you've read that year.  We've really gone down hill.

Then the little kids do a dollar store gift exchange.  Even though its all total junk toys and no one really cares about the gifts after about 10 minutes, I prefer the kids gift exchange.  I always stress about white elephant exchanges because people have different ideas of what that means.  Are you really supposed to give junk?   Does if have to be funny?  Is it appropriate to be outrageous?  I'm never sure of the parameters.  But with the little kids its easy--spend $1 on a disposable toy that will bring joy for up to, but no more than 10 minutes.
Tomorrow night we have another gift exchange with my family and my step siblings always do super clever, funny, outrageous gifts that are still of some actual worth.  Mine will be be lame, lame, lame in comparison.  Oh, well.  At least I'll get something good.  Can't say the same for them.

It warms my heart to think that these older kids were the ages of those little kids when we first started doing book club.  It has been so wonderful to read and learn together and raise our families together.  We dearly miss our good friends who moved to San Diego a couple of years ago, but I did get a fabulous package in the mail from Christine on Friday.

I had, not one, but FOUR presents to open!!!  Let's be honest, that is more than I'll be opening Christmas morning, so I was pretty thrilled.  I didn't even let my kids help me open one.

I hope its okay with Christine that I'm sharing, but I want to remember this and it is a great idea.   Here's the plan-- 1) Take a mommy time out (that's where the chocolate comes in)  2) Get in the car and listen to some good tunes (GF stands for girlfriend) while I drive  3) To Barnes and Noble where I use my gift card to purchase a novel I've been wanting to read. 4) I savor the book, taking notes in the margins and then pass the book onto the next girlfriend in the book club.

Isn't that a marvelous plan?  I'm so excited to do the plan the holiday hoopla dies down.

And now pardon me while I am very inappropriate for a moment.  But can't you just see this picture in a wedding video someday.  Oh, I hope.