Christmas Cheer to last you through the New Year

(Did anyone catch my title rhyme? Anyone? Anyone? Moving on...)

Christmas 2008 had its ups and downs, but it was generally a rousing success. Husband and I took the entire week of Christmas off, and the sleeping in was much appreciated. The stomach flu, however, was very much a party crasher. Husband was down from Friday through Tuesday, including an urgent care visit and several trips to CVS for over-the-counter cure-alls. Also, much ginger ale. Once he seemed to kick the nasty bug, I came down with a much more friendly version and was horizontal for most of Christmas Eve. It worked out because it was too icy to attend the Christmas Eve Service at church, which was cancelled anyway. We didn't get to enjoy much of the Christmas Day feast because of our lack of appetites, but we made up for it on Saturday at my extended family's Christmas celebration.

This couch was definitely at its maximum capacity. But aren't we cute?

The obligatory "couple standing together" picture at my parents' house on Christmas afternoon. Please note the festively colored-but-not-gaudy Christmas sweater (mine, not Boba Fett).

Our stockings runneth over. The second Chritsmas at my parents' house for us as a married couple and Husband still doesn't have a stocking with his name on it...I guess from now on he'll just have to be known as "Season's Greetings." Please refer to him as such.

My dad thinks he's funny. Yes, that is a battery-operated spider with "realistic fuzzy texture" and "spider egg remote control." It hasn't made it out of the box yet and will remain so, as long as I can keep our stock of batteries hidden (batteries not included, thank all that is holy). I prefer my spiders under glass. Or plastic cellophane, in this case.

This was the absolute highlight of MY Christmas season. Husband has been drooling over the PS3 for quite some time now, repeatedly explaining to me how it plays Blu-Ray movies and how they are SoMuchMoreAwesome than regular DVDs and OhIWantOneeeee. He e-mailed me a great deal from Amazon one day, and I impulsively decided to completely ignore our mutual decision to keep Christmas small this year because of that house purchase thing and snapped one up. I had the system mailed to my parents' house, and they wrapped up the boxes and hid them away until all of our packages were opened Christmas day. Then, I casually said, "Didn't Kyle have one more gift to open?" and went to fetch the box from the hiding place. He was completely confused, then incredulous, then dumbfounded, then happyfunyeayyyyy. The memory of seeing him open his gift was the best thing I received this Christmas. Wonder how I can top myself next year...

The memory really was a great gift, but this robe was pretty sweet, too! (Please ignore the InSaNe BeDhEaD. I slept on it wet and apparently pissed off some demi-god of hair.) I also received a digital picture frame, which I love! It was definitely something I have been coveting but would never buy for myself!

Finally, I leave you with this picture of the aftermath of receiving the movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It is both horrifyingly grotesque and hilarious. As Husband said when he took the picture, "It looks like you just opened the cure for cancer." This is my Christmas gift to you, dear reader.