Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Bloggers

Hello all, Sammy here posting from his parents digs.  I have made the trip home safely and into a little bit of a warmer climate.  It rained here last night…its unusual because Erie has been nothing  but a winter wonderland lately.

I just wanted to take a quick moment and wish you all who read this a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I’ve had a lovely time getting to know all of  you and reading  your blogs and comments and I want  you and  your loved ones to have a fantastic holiday!!!!!!!  I have found myself very lucky to have met such nice people on this blogging adventrue and I look forward to the future of my blog and the people I will meet though it and the surprises it will bring.  Again Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!

I’m sitting here clad in my bed clothes with my Mother declaring me her Christmas elf.  I already know what this means.  We are hosting Christmas Eve at my parents home this evening and I am in charge of doing all the food running today.  That means back and forth from the neighboring towns gathering all the goodies for tonights dinner.  I have to pick up the ham and drop it off, make a quick stop at the liquor store for the evenings booze, I have a package to send, gifts to deliever, and then it is out to another  town where I will pick up the chicken and bread for tonights festivities.  It is going to be a packed afternoon but it is a small price to pay for a great evening with my family.  One of the other good things is that on the last  leg of my journey I will get to see one of my really good friends who is part of my Urban Family.  He was my roomate all though college and is from California so I don’t get to see him that often.  It just so happens his brother moved to our neighboring town and he is in for a visit.  What makes this extra special/important is he is perparing to be shipped out with the Marine Crops to Afganhistan in January.  It’s going to be very bittersweet but I’m lucky I’m going to get to see him.

After that I will be home with my Mother’s side of the family and a few family friends just eating and enjoying their company.  Then we will do one my favorite traditions.  Grab bag exchange!    I love this tradition.  My Mother who is one of five, and all her sibling and their families come in for Thanksgiving and after dinner we do a big grab bag pull.  There are a good 18-20 of us in this grab bag.  It is such a great idea because our family is so big.  Then on Christmas eve we do the exchange we do it one by one, phoning the family  members who can’t make it  home and they take their turns opening thier gifts.  I had my Uncle, one of my Mom’s sisters husbands, for grab bag.  I got him two dvds of a comedian he likes, but what he doesn’t realize is that I ordered him a shirt from his old college alma mater.  I pretty pleased with  my selection for him!!!!!!

I hope you are having fun and enjoying yourselves tonight.  I will be thinking of  you during the holiday!  Alright I would continue posting but I can hear  my Mother calling for me and you know what that means time to be the Christmas Elf….if only I could get an elf hat   Till next time Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!