Wow, what a great holiday weekend and happily, there's still more to come.
 
The blizzard in New Jersey stopped us from going out and having Christmas with my family (we rescheduled and I can't wait!) but if I couldn't have had it with them, I was glad to be able to celebrate it with my boyfriend's family.

Wait. Back up.

Christmas Eve was our gift-opening time, so we began with king crab legs for dinner, a spiced apple wine for a toast, and on to the gala event. My boyfriend knocked my socks off this year, which was lovely, and the cats got some catnip gifts to go nutty over. A beautiful night.

Christmas Day my boyfriend's sons came over to open gifts and then it was off to my bf's sister's house for a magnificent holiday dinner, a fun grab bag gift exchange -- I love my presents, Jane, and so do the cats! -- and then a rollicking segment of Wii's Just Dance. My particicpation didn't extend further than laughing, clapping and taking pictures, and that's just fine because it was a blast to watch everybody else bust loose.
 
The four of us came back and hung out, got hungry, made burritos and popcorn and watched a new movie, talked, laughed, and had a really good time. It was warm, cozy, full of good feelings and was soothing balm for the disappointment of the cancelled Jersey trip. (Stupid snow.)  Sunday brunch was strawberry pancakes and later on we kicked off a shrimp and lobster tail fest, just to round out the eating extravaganza. Whew. 

I donated to the Humane Society and The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee (fed my elephant Dulary for a day) and I found a fairly local animal shelter that has a Sponsor a Cage program per month, and I'm doing that, too. I think I may kick-off A Charity a Month thing in 2011 because there are eleven other months in the year, and any donation is better than none. Doesn't that sound good?

So, today it was a funky combination of relax and recharge, and hauling wood for the stove and pulling the gifts out from under the tree before the cats start sleeping on them and getting them all hairy. It's really cold right now but hallelujah, we only got about two inches of snow. And it's supposed to hit the thirty degree mark sometime this week. A heatwave! 

Amazon.com has my books on special sale prices right now, which I love because I, too, love getting good dealson books. Plus, I got some new spiral note books from Santa and I'm just itching to crack one open and start writing all the new story ideas I have in them. There's just something about a fresh, blank page where anything can happen that woos me, and is irresistible...