Some Christmas thoughts

Dazzled by his presents, Matthew exclaimed, "This is the best Christmas ever!"  A few hours later, he was sourly complaining, "I never get to do what I want.  Santa didn't get me a computer or a phone that plays music, even though I wrote him a letter!"  Somebody's trying to grow up a little too fast.  And just when I was feeling pretty good about how much six-year-old toys cost, too.

Matthew was on his best behavior for the rest of the day, though.  He told us that that was his Christmas present to us: being a good boy all day.  And he was.

The kids got up at 5, but Rachel was ready for them: "Santa" left their stockings by their beds.  So when they woke us up we told them to go play with their stockings and come back at 6.  Then at 6 we told them to go downstairs and see what else Santa got them.  "Santa" had left several presents unwrapped for each of them.  "How did you know the doll was not for you and the magic set for Melissa?" we teased Matthew later.  "The doll was pink, Dad," Matthew replied.

The doll had been securely fastened in the most diabolical fashion with many wire twisties to a cardboard box.  Melissa's solution was simple: obliterate the box.  Dozens of two-inch scraps of cardboard greeted us when we finally groaned out of bed.  That must have been a lot of work; it was a sturdy box.

Two new games: Andrea got us Killer Bunnies and Ellis got us Take Off.  I'm impressed with Andrea's game sense; for a non-gamer (or perhaps we should update that to "new gamer"), Killer Bunnies was a very astute choice.  It looks very Munchkin-esque, which means I'd better wait until I have some non-family members to play with.  Take Off is suggested for players 6 and up, and hopefully I'll get to try it tomorrow with the kids.  I am also impressed by this choice since it looks like a fun game that I have never heard of.  This is tough to pull off once your gift subject discovers Board Game Geek.

Take Off will probably precipitate another lesson in sportsmanship for Matthew; wish me luck.  (We tried to play Parcheesi a few nights ago; the game ended when I captured one of Matthew's pawns and he stormed off to his room in a temper.)

The extended family is getting large.  I lost track of who we'd gotten what for, to the point that when I opened a copy of Ticket to Ride: the card game addressed to me this morning, to find no note included, I asked several people on the phone if they had sent it before I realized that it was the present I'd ordered for Brian, on a mission in Brazil.

Rachel found a copy of Mark Twain on Writing for me.  It's been on my Amazon wish list for years and out of print -- and impossible to find, which is unusual with Amazon and alibris -- for even longer.  That's love!  She also got me a high-end set of cooking knives, after she caught me drooling over Greg's.

Rachel got each of the kids a bilibo -- pink and blue, of course.  Matthew loved his; his favorite thing to do is spin in it like a top on the tile floor.  He really gets going!  Melissa was more interested in the beads from Grandma and the princess accessories from Andrea.

Matthew's favorite toy was his new camera.  I considered getting him a new one, but the cameras marketed towards kids take terrible stills and no movies at all, and I didn't see the point in adding another 5MP-ish point-and-shoot to the family collection, so we gave him our old one.  I admit it's a gamble, and he might prove me wrong by breaking it.  But I think my odds are good.  I was right, too: the movie mode is his favorite part.  He's already chastised me for speaking during his movie.

I was jealous of the family together in New Jersey when I called and everyone was at my parents'.  It almost makes me want to give up and move back.  But that's just not going to happen; it's way too expensive to live there with three kids.  Everyone still there is either childless (David, Christine, Frank) or has a low head count (Grant: one girl).  Grant's expecting to add a boy very soon and maybe more after that so I wonder what he will do.