It's Christmas Eve.

.....There was a FOUR HOUR WEST WING MARATHON this morning. Daytime TV is INSIDIOUS in its ability to distract one from stuff one SHOULD be doing. Bad TV! :-)

.....It's also very cold. :-) TBT is on the road shepherding the Rhys unit home from his Christmas with the other side of the family. Lots of family drama and foo from which we'll be recovering over the next twenty four hours. But there are side benefits. We are not exactly the most 'with-it' parents in existance, but with these trips Rhys generally sees that we're not the worst alternatives either. So, even with the bad day and the distressed Mom, all will be well in the end.

.....We had Christmas Eve dinner with my Mom today. With the traditional turkey and all the traditional sides. We have now made the turkey slathered with mayonaise the 'tradition' here as it makes for a fantastic turkey. When carving said bird I mainly was pulling bones from a pile of carcass. Ultra-tender! TBT keeps getting the giggles from her friends for not being a cook. But she's a pretty damned fine cook in reality.

.....It sure was quiet without Rhys here though. He is our usual soundtrack for the day and the lack of that soundtrack was keenly felt. TBT was noticeably down as well. Thankfully it was only for the day though. The tree is full of presents and Rhys is pretty resilient. By 8AM tomorrow morning the downers of today should be already a distant memory.

.....Sean confirmed his presence at Christmas Day dinner tomorrow and now Mom is nervous. The apartment is still somewhat chaotic, but looking better. I'm ready for practically anything tomorrow. But I do not think it will be drama filled.

.....Rhys and TBT picked up gloves and a scarf for a Christmas present and I have a heavy coat I've never worn that I think I'll throw into the box. He can probably use it as when Mom talked to him today he was working at cutting firewood. What was funny though was that she talked to him on his cell phone. I still can't picture him carrying a cell phone around with him. :-)

.....Everyone is excited at the prospect of seeing Avatar sometime this weekend. But I was so scarred by 'Happy Feet' that I'm not as excited about the propect of an animated movie with a 'message'. I'm more intrigued to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie myself. But I'm also a story snob, something I seem to be gaining with age. :-) So we'll see. I might be disappointed by both. :-)

.....Saturday seems like a lifetime away. I need to look at my 'to-do' list and see what's up on the agenda. I've been taking it easy for the past couple. I'd sure like to get SOMETHING done. :-)

.....But first with the opening of presents. Wonder when Rhys will be up in the morning? :-)

.....Wonder what my Sekrit Santa got for me? I don't even know who it is from either. The only clue was the address in Monroe. No name. Which means no clues as to what it is either. :-)

.....TBT wants to open ONE present before bed, but I'm resistent. The ANTICIPATION is the best part of Christmas. Why lessen that anticipation by eliminating even one present? :-) We'll see.

.....Hope everyone has a wonderful and restful and Drahma-free holiday.

.....Aaron / Arontius.