A Truly Great Christmas

I have such thoughtful, loving children. For Christmas this year, they gave me some pretty cool gifts: A guitar controller for my PS2; season 3 of The Office; a Mike Birbiglia cd; 3-D wind catcher that says Faith, Hope, Love; Jimi Hendrix dvd; The Song Remains the Same dvd; Italian made leather passport holder (it's so soft and supple, I wish I could wear it somehow); a Moleskine book of Rome; a Moleskine blank journal of which Hemingway and Van Gogh were known to use; a rocking digital picture frame; wine; and wall hangings of grapes/wine.

The love and thought that went into the gifts is truly amazing and heartwarming. The best part about the day was all of us together, playing Guitar Hero III, laughing and having a blast. If I had to choose, I would forgo the gifts and be completely satisfied sharing fun and closeness.

We recreated it all again the next night with my husband's children. We had so much fun, the presents were almost a chore to get out of the way so we could play our game! Well, maybe the grandchildren feel a little differently. I smile when I envision them chasing the dogs around, fake playing GH3 with the extra guitar, and just being adorable, each in their own special way. I was so in the happy zone.

Izzy clearly wanted to experience the fun and food as well. That oversized tongue of hers nearly got a piece of her daddy's pie.