The giving and receiving of gifts...lovely.

So this first Christmas being married...it turned out very, very lovely. It began last night--as this Christmas would be spent with April's family, Danielle, April, and I went to the house of April's aunt for their traditional, meatless Christmas Eve dinner. Much seafood, and all of it very yummy. After dinner, some gifts were exchanged, and then we ate some dessert. I swear, after all the baking April's done these past few days, it wouldn't surprise me if she totally disowned the kitchen for a week. After, we head to her parents' house, where we'd sleep for the night while Santa did his thing: sanctioned breaking and entering, something you or I would get arrested for. Before sleep, though, April and I were downstairs in the family room, and after everyone had gone to bed, I put on James Taylor's Christmas album and we danced for the first few songs of the disc, a thing that's now become a tradition for the two of us. What started 3 years ago as a simple gesture to cheer April up during her first Christmas with my family has become something we look forward to on Christmas Eve, and it's something we look forward to now just before we head to bed on this night. I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Shortly after 8 AM today, I was woken up by the usual method whenever I spend a night at her parents' place--a dog leaping onto my crotch. Sorry--there will now be no grandkids for our parents to spoil. After the initial shock wore away, I stirred myself and shortly after, we began the giving and receiving of gifts.

( Gifts I received )

( Gifts I gave )

So then it was just relaxing and having a calm day. I called up relatives and friends, spoke to them online, and even brought April's family to mine by way of a Skype video call after dinner. Yay technology! Ryan and I spent a good chunk of the day playing Super Smash Bros., and trying out Mario Super Sluggers, but I also watched Muppet Christmas Carol with April and Danielle, and then we watched Family Guy's take on Star Wars: Episode 5. Dinner was had, and was delicious. Ham is awesome, I don't care what anyone says. I'm such a bad Jew, but if it tastes good, I'm gonna eat it, pork or not. Shortly after, the three of us came home, and I played some more Mario Super Sluggers before this. And in a few, I'm heading to bed. And that was my Christmas this year. Next year, it'll be spent with my family. For now, though, I look forward to New Year's Eve, when I try to win my 5th consecutive New Year's Eve/New Year's Day Monopoly game.

And the fact that I have 2 more days off now is just amazing as well. To those that observed the holiday, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. To the rest, I hope it was a great day regardless.

Finally, I must remind you all that there is now 1 week left to enter Character Battle 11! Get those brackets in! Details and how to enter can be found right here! CLICKY!

Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope you enjoyed it. I know I certainly did.