A Merry, Merry Christmas

CHRISTMAS EVE
Mom and Dad went to The Lion King at the Paramount Theater the night before, so I woke up out at Grandma H. and Papa's house. The real treat here is that I got to meet my Great-Uncle Bob Herzog, Papa's brother who lives in Memphis, TN. I'd heard so much great stuff about him and was so glad to finally meet him. What a sweet-heart! Mom and Dad picked up Grammy Sam from the train station and arrived around 1:30PM or so. It was a nice and casual day of Guinness for strength and Cosmo's for the ladies. And as the tradition goes, we dined on Chinese take-out and drank champagne while watching Caddyshack. There were plenty of laughs before going to bed (in front of the tree) in anticipation of my first visit with Santa.

SANTAGOSHI CLAUSAGAWA

Here I am at the downtown Seattle Nordstrom's having my picture taken with Santa. I had no idea Santa was from Japan!!

CHRISTMAS DAY
We all woke up today and sat around the tree opening presents. I of course got way too much stuff. But I'm not complaining because it's all very cute. After Grandma H. cooked up some delectable eggnog French toast, we all piled into our cars and headed down to Olympia to share in the festivities with the Wildenhaus family at Bob and Mary's. It was great to see all of my extended family again and we celebrated with a lovely meal and good times. Unfortunatley my parents decided to take me home just as everyone else began to play games, but it was probably for the best as it was past my bedtime.

THE DAY AFTER
Great-Uncle Bob doesn't buy Christmas gifts... He treats everyone to posh dinners. This year we went out to The Waterfront Seafood Grill. What a nice place!! I can't speak from experience, but the food looked great and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. And if you ever go, be sure to order the baked Alaska as they do it like no one else does.

THE VERDICT
With one Christmas finally under my belt, I can surely say that it RULES! But really, getting together with friends and family is something that my family and I love to do any time. I'm very sad to have to say goodbye to Grammy Sam and Great-Uncle Bob, but I know it's just for now... I'll be seeing them again. Mom, Dad and I are trying to recover this week before our fun getaway in Leavenworth with Grandma H. and Papa. Ciao for now!