So meara does this mean you're in Indy? I mean, not that I have time to see you or anything since the family schedule is insano, but I could sort of feel generally happy you're in the vicinity!

But it was a nice night, actually, mostly. And tomorrow should be mostly about food, so.

I bow to your drug knowledge, but I refuse to be swayed by your wacky, new age, alternative treatment recommendations.

I keep forgetting to say, The Twelve Days is awesome!

Technically Xmas here, so merry Christmas ! Brother and I were up way too late talking and drinking . I LOVE talking to my bro.

Unfortunately, the kids will wake up damn early and I'm sleeping next to the tree.

Wish me luck!

Because EM is sleeping over she's in Emmett's bed and he's on the couch by the xmas tree.

Matilda lobbied hard to be sleeping out by the tree as well.

I suspect she wants to catch Santa in the act.

So meara does this mean you're in Indy? I mean, not that I have time to see you or anything since the family schedule is insano, but I could sort of feel generally happy you're in the vicinity!

Yes! I didn't realize you were here! I'm around until Thursday morning

We got home and found my Muslim BIL watching midnight mass from the Vatican. We left it on and discussed the fashion choices and the commentator and the popes health.

Oh, the Buffistasmas is marvelous! Mwah.

I ran with my sister & marathoner SIL this morning, even though I'd stupidly taken a sudafed at 10PM last night and barely slept as a result. (My SIL is not, technically, a marathoner: she runs marathon distances on the weekends for fun, and is determined to get into ultramarathoning. Yes, she's just as fit as you think.) We didn't get shamed too badly, but I felt lousy for much of the day afterwards.

I did go to Christmas mass with my parents, and it turned out it was the Children's Mass. Oh, my--I felt like I was trapped in Charlie Brown's Christmas, complete with the little shepherds dressed in Dad's bathrobe with towels on their heads. SO CUTE.

Wrapped my parents' gifts for them, ate pizza with the other kids & offspring, had the mandatory bull session about our folks and what the future holds, and now I'm finally crashed out with the dog snoring by my bed.

I've lost my voice, argh. But hey, I get to sleep in at least a little tomorrow, since my niece & nephews are too young to really understand about Santa, so there won't be any crack-of-dawn excitement. Just the puppy whining...

Merry Christmas to all Buffistas who celebrate! Maybe this year will be better than the last, as the man says.

msbelle, you're a rockstar for giving those girls an opportunity and reminding them their mom needs to be thought of, too. One of those things that falls all too often between the cracks when things fall apart.

Amy, the Twelve Days is definitely awesome.

ita, you sound really happy and at home.

Tom, I agree with the folks urging you to hook your wagon to photography. You have a wonderful eye and a clean, focused style that could be the foundation of a whole new career for you, in a completely new direction. I wish you courage to take the step, and excitement and fulfillment once you do.

David, Rich Little's Christmas Carol, if you can find it. He played all the parts with impersonations of then-famous celebrities. I think you and I may be the only people who like Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. I love some of those songs--my first Tabletalk tagline was a lyric: "We're rep.re.hensible, We'll steal your pan and pensible". Formative years, loyalty, what can I say?

We're watching lava flows on Netflix streaming How the Earth Was Made. Just introduced H to Inspector Morse played by a very youngish John Thaw. We've *years* of episodes ahead of us, then Inspector Lewis. He's got football tomorrow evening, so we may not get our traditional watch of the extended LotR dvds in tomorrow. But there will be music and food and nog and spice-mulled hot cranberry juice ('S good! and doesn't cause migraine like red wine) with orange slices, and ham, and neighbors. And the kids will call from H's mom's at some point during the day.

Wishing a most happy day to Buffistas everywhere!

I think billytea needs this shirt: [link]

The dark knight/chess shirt is up for sale again at the same site. Along with a Firefly one, and a who one and possibly a few others of interest.

The creatures are stirring... Including some unpacking the insulation in the kitchen! Yikes!

Let the chaos ensue.

I have just bought the Dark Knight one, found out paypal seems to hate Jamaica, and had an argument with my father. Seriously, why is a joke that you never receive presents funny when you haven't given one in ten years? Why do I need to indulge that conversation when I'm just trying to get you to not leave the house so we can have a family breakfast and gift exchange? Apparently it's funny to forget we're together most Christmases, or that I've been making the egg nog for 25 years. No, I have typical xmas morning lack of humour.