(post-logged 12/26) Friday
Woke up early and drove down caravan style with my parents to my brother's house down south. He has such a beautiful house - very southern city mansionesque - old...neuveau rich to renovate-old-skool-rich. It's a great place to have a huge family holiday gathering. The house itself is very formal...and informal...like my brother and his wife & family.

We were greeted with much chaos, yet warm smiles and panic of all-the-things-that-had-to-be-done-before-guests-arrive (we were the guests). I set into "I'll help with whatevva ya need to, I'm a multitasking man" so the afternoon went by pretty quick with a quick lunch followed by more preparations, plans and cleanup. Much of that afternoon was a blur with activity.

That late afternoon, we attended a xmess pagent at their lovely gothic church - was a crowded event with lots of kids all hopped up on candy and delusions of santa and the gifts they will receive. Following, we drove as a unit (never knew all 5 adults and 3 children [6, 5 yo, 8 mo] could fit into a minivan) for 45 minutes to see a 10 minute xmess light display, then to drive 45 minutes back with a very upset screaming 8 month old giving all of us a reason to want to break into the spiked eggnog upon arrival.

The host family was too busy putting kids to bed and breast feeding, disciplining, wrapping presents to make dinner - so dinner needed to be made (my parents were hungry and it was a few hours past dinnertime). I made the oyster stew that was the tradition - was very good. Everyone was happy. Cleaned up dinner, and then went to help host family wrap gifts until midnight, replete with all the fake santa gestures...eaten cookies, hoof prints, oats & carrots for the reindeer, et al. Spent the last part of the evening "brining" a turkey to cook the next day - it's a really involved process (recipe to follow at a later date). All were exhausted...it was going to be a long next day (kids get up at 5:30am to rape the presents).

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