The Holtonian

Thanks to the giving

Well I'm sitting here at home on a frigid lookout mtn day. Actually its not too bad but copper is wearing his coat so that tells you something about the temp. I took today and tomorrow off to just sort of enjoy the holiday time. We'll leave tomorrow for Mississippi to see my brother his wife and my folks. Should be fun though we'll miss my brother concerned. But someone has to show the Iraqis how to make a turkey.

THe house is in disarray up here due to the impending Christmas holiday. Since we aren't having any company for thanksgiving here we decided to skip the thanksgiving decorations, though we don't really have many to speak of, so we moved strait to the Christmas time decorations. We got the tree up and decorated, by that I mean I brought the tree up out of the basement and the wife painstakingly decorated while I watched and cheered her on. I'm not allowed to touch the tree. Oh don't worry its for the best. If i had my way we'd own every starwars, gi joe, star trek, etc hallmark ornament they make. It'd look more like a toy store than a christmas tree. So I get to watch the wife make the tree look pretty, its a nice situation.

Though we did have a problem this year with the tree. With the addition of the armoire in the corner our usual christmas tree location was sort of occupado. Granted we've only had christmas here once but that was the tree's spot. Moving the armoire was out of the question so we decided to put the tree next to it and move the recliner into the baby's room for the time being. Well to aid the decorating we kept it out from the wall so the back could be reached. Then when the wife was done I got down on the ground to push it back into the wall a bit so it wasn't sticking out so far in the middle of the room. As I gently nudged it back it..... TIMBER!!!!! proceeded to fall on top of me. Wifey's crying and trying to hold it up, i'm underneath afraid to move so no more ornmanets fall off and break. It was pretty hilarious and I was laughing the whole time, something the wife wasn't too happy about. But we got it up and only lost one ornament completely, one of those glass balls that are dirt cheap. We also lost a crystal icicle but I think I can glue it back together. I think what happened was the frame/stand got bent some how and couldn't hold the weight of the tree. So I wired it to the wall and that's keeping it in good position.

I'm looking forward to thanksgiving. For one we don't have to travel all the way to chicago, though that was a ton of fun and food last year. This year will be a litlte quieter and more just the local holton fam. I think with all the respective clans growing, and grandchildren being born getting everyone (my mom's whole side) together is both costly and hard to organize. My mom's fam is about five families so everyone under one roof is a lot of folks. This year may be the way things are done here on out just because its easier for people. I know its easier for us because its less travel and expenses. With the baby coming next year might see a shift in how things are done as well. Not sure if we'll do it at our house or not but I'd be up for it. Though its the wife's call since she cooks.

This past year there's a lot to be thankful for and i'm just glad and joyful that God has given us a great year with a lot of challenges and a lot of blessings. Happy thanksgiving to any who made it all the way through this.