Merry Christmas!

A few pics from last night's Christmas Eve visit:

I gave the kids Christmas presents. For the daughter, MJ, I gave things that were more brain- and thinking-oriented than gifts I've given in the past: this time around, there was a puzzle to help her practice her spatial-relations skills, a "Where's Waldo?" book to teach her the art of disciplined scanning, a hilarious little short-story book about a small fish that stole a hat from a big fish (titled This Is Not My Hat), and finally, two stuffed animals: a flopsy bunny and an arctic fox. For the son, JA, I gave two huge Star Wars tomes: one was a generic Star Wars encyclopedia; the other was specific to "Rogue One." I also got JA a Nerf pistol with an extra pack of thirty Nerf rounds. Sadly, JA's dad, my buddy JW, was a bit of a dick: I had just finished telling the boy never to point and shoot the gun at people, when JW took the already-loaded gun and shot his son with it. This made JW's wife, BH, upset, and I totally agreed with her ire. JW was a bit drunk, so maybe that had something to do with his dickishness.

When things had cooled down a bit, BH thanked me for having gotten all these gifts for the kids. She admonished me not to buy so much for them in the future; JW leaned in and said, "What she really means is: please do keep buying this much stuff for them." BH and the kids gave me my gifts: a lovely pair of knit socks, a very useful and practical neck-warmer, a set of Polo colognes and lotions, and a Minions toy or puzzle of some sort.

I didn't stay much longer after midnight; I left the Hillstate Apartments complex, walked down the street, and took a cab back to my apartment, considerably less weighed down with presents and food. Oh, yes: BH also gifted me with about a pound of homemade bulgogi, which I'll be happily consuming this week. She had laid some bulgogi out for our Christmas Eve meal, and it was truly delicious, so I know I have something good to look forward to soon.

I hope you're having a merry Christmas, whether you're celebrating alone or with friends and/or loved ones. 2017 has proved to be one hell of a year, so it's nice to take a breather and ponder the quiet before the madness of 2018 is upon us.