Merry Christmas!

It's a Christmas miracle. After opening presents, I took a nap. I woke up to my dad cooking dinner. It was wonderful. He cooked smoked turkey, stuffing, and corn on the cob. I ate at the dinner table with my family for the first time since Thanksgiving about 3 years ago. Even Josh and Grandma ate at the table.

After that, we took out Cranium and played as a family, while Josh and Grandma watched Lawrence Welk and It's A Wonderful Life. My mom and I played on a team and won. Luke finished the game by saying how much fun it was to play as a family. (That's after he told me that daddy would never play a board game again. Naysayer.)

This sounds like a dream sequence. It really wasn't. It was a wonderful Christmas. We really needed it.

Christmas at the ADD family Robinson

There's nothing quite as confidence inspiring as when your mother says, "I didn't get you any clothes for Christmas because I don't know what size you are."

I just spent the last twenty minutes on the phone with my family (which did not go well) and I learned that my dad wants to sell the house because he doesn't want to decorate for Christmas anymore. I think someone should tell him that house decorating responsibilities are actually independent of house ownership. Now, renouncing your faith in Christ, that will keep you from decorating for a little while, at least.

I have said it before, thought it before, but I really don't want to go home for Christmas. It's just a big ol' buzz kill. I get all excited about the holidays, but now that I am older, I hear about all the fights that my parents have because my dad is a humbug and my mom is Johnny Mathis. My brother is the youngest, and I feel the sorriest for him because he still wants to do Christmas up big, whereas the rest of us are tired.

Also, my dad is trying to give up drinking over the holidays, which means I can't drink while I am home. Seriously, have you ever heard of anyone needing a drink more than me during this time of year? I might have to sneak liquor up to my room--Just like the old days!

In any case, I did do something a little bit holiday-ish this evening. I went to look at the crazy lights over in Dyker Heights, where they have a little bit of friendly neighborhood competition going on. I swear, their block looks like Atlantic City. It's just gorgeous. Nothing gets me in the mood more than Christmas lights, except maybe caroling.

I Heart New York

Tonight, I went to a Linda Eder show, and then I saw Pots And Pans, the guy from the HBO show about Atlantic City hookers, and then I saw the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, and then I had dinner at a restaurant that's apparently hard to get into, and I got free wine from the host, and then I pet a pony.

This city is awesome.