Christmas: take 2........................

The saga continued the next day as we loaded up and headed for Sallisaw where we would stay through Christmas Day. Mark's brother drove in from Detroit the same day and the whole family was together at Mark's home for the first time in a few years so that was fun. Much of Mark's extended family lives in Sallisaw so we were able to see and visit with aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. We spent the days leading up to Christmas doing all the great traditional activities including baking cookies (which the kids delivered to the neighbors), looking at Christmas lights, and of course some last-minute shopping. The days were relaxing and peaceful, just as the holidays should be. We celebrated with Mark's mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve which includes a gift exchange between the kids only as the family has grown so large now. Then it was setting out our cookies and milk for Santa, whom we had emailed to let him know we'd be in Sallisaw at Papa Don and Jiji's house instead of our own home. And finally off to bed so Santa could come. Santa did not let us down as the pictures will tell. The boys received their Nintendo DS games and Addi got some precious babies and her first vanity with pretend makeup, thank you Santa! Lunch on Christmas Day was the long-standing tradition of the Stites potluck luncheon at the extension building (or whatever they call it) in Sallisaw. Mark's dad is the youngest of 10 children so you might imagine how large that extended family is. It's almost sad the the peak years for that family may have passed as the extended families have all grown so large themselves and spread out that many gathered in smaller groups out of town. But those of us that were there did it up right with lots of good old-fashioned home-cooked fattening dishes to tickle your taste buds. The food is the highlight secondary only to the visitation at that gathering. I am now after 12 yrs of knowing Mark and his family starting to be able to put people together and remember who most of them are.

We had a fun Christmas Day and as usual we stayed longer than we meant to, it's just so hard to leave a good time behind especially when we were headed home to a cold house and a busy work schedule the next 3 days before we would leave again to travel south to my parents for our family Christmas. We got home about 10:30 Christmas evening, unpacked enough to function and hit the hay in our own beds, awww, it felt so good. But the alarm went off all too early as we headed off to work the next day. I worked long back-to-back 12 hr days wed and thur and spent friday doing laundry and repacking before we left town again. Coming up, Christmas: take 3!