On the First Day of Christmas...

We woke up. Well, most of us did.



We had things to do, after all. Family and friends were coming for Christmas dinner. There was a turkey to stuff.



There were treats to set out. Some of us wanted to start before the company came. We did.



There were rooms to tidy, tables and flowers to arrange, and candles to light. Mary tried using The Force



but was, I must say, unsuccessful.

When family had gathered, important business was accomplished. Gifts were sorted and distributed. And then opened.

Ethan was given a lovely gift in this pretty bag lined with camo tissue. If I told you his sister did this, would you be surprised?



Inside was his favorite drink...



But he reciprocated by gifting his sister with a...knife wrench. Some of you might recognize where it comes from, but, for those who don't..



Grandpa Peterman gifted all the kids with tool kits. Matthew's held a flashlight, which turned out to be a great present for Jip!



After presents, we feasted.




A Peterman Pastured Turkey was consumed. Well, not really. He was 35 pounds, after all, so we didn't consume the whole thing! And, no, I don't know why there is a round shape cut out of the breast skin. That happened at the processor's. I suspect they tested the birds for something; but why, I ask, did they have to cut a hole in the biggest one? Ah, well.

We also had stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, squash, corn, veggies and dip, shrimps, gravy, sour cream salad and rolls.

-burp-

After the feast, and some "down time," dessert happened. We had key lime pies, pecan pie, fudge, cake, and many, many cookies. About half of the cookies contained Jack Daniels. I made sure they didn't go home. After all, open liquor in the car is against the law in Illinois, some of the cookies were topped with uncooked, liquor-laced frosting, and, although I know that's not the same as an opened bottle, well, you just don't want to take any chances.

At the end of the day, we were tired.




The house was no longer tidy.





Getting the big stuff taken care of, but leaving some of the mess for today, we got into jammies



and hit the hay.



Well, some of us did. Some of us were having too much fun in our new hat and jammies.



But, eventually, family went home, things quieted down, and we really did hit the hay.

That's about when the cat finally woke up...