How to spend your christmas to make memories

As you may have guess by reading other Hubs of mine, there is always something exciting going on in my home.  Never a dull moment fits perfectly when describing my life.  That’s Ok, it’s all I’ve known so I supposed I’m used to it.  Truly, I wouldn’t know what to do if it were any other way. 

Christmas time is most joyous, particularly in my home.  With 5 kids and grand kids poppin’ out like a jack in the box, I can only envision what this year will be like.  I can only hope that this year will be pleasant, but of course that is a dream that I have.  I can fairly guarantee something funny will happen.  I suppose we will just have to wait and see.

For about 16 people the Christmas of 2008 will long live in their memory.  Let me share;

I had decided this year we was going to be special.  Since Mom had passed away 2 years prior, she always made Christmas fun for me, it would be up to me to make Christmas special for the family.  I decorated the entire home, and planned the menu.  We would be starting the gathering on Christmas Eve to accommodate those that had other plans with significant others on Christmas Day.  My son and his girl friend were planning on being here, they had a distance to drive coming from Pennsylvania to Michigan was about a 6 hour drive for them.

Christmas being in the middle of the week and with a lot of people who were planning on attending things needed to get done.  I had a special game planned, I had a box with a lot of gifts wrapped, no one but me knew what was in there.  These were just dollar store gifts, but there were a lot of them, enough for everyone to get 2 gifts.  I would pull out 2 gifts the ‘givee’ would choose left or right and I’d keep the unchosen gift in my hand and pull out the next.  I thought it sounded like a fun game.  Everyone would get a gift, the giving would last a while.  So that was one plan.

The food, I had lots of it.  It was mostly snack foods, shrimp cocktail, my famous cheese ball, crackers, veggie tray, fruit tray, rolled up lunch meat, ham roll ups, pies, and salads galore!  So the food menu was covered, but most if it still needed making.

Two days before Christmas, meaning 1 day before my guests arrived, my husband decided the house needed painting. As I have discussed in another Hub, he is very vain. It wasn’t as though we were entertaining guests that have never viewed my home. These were family members. Very early in the morning he began tearing up my house to paint. My older son decided that he was going to help, but in order for him to do that I would have to baby sit his two kids, at my home. So here I have all this planning going on, food to make and I’m baby sitting. Now mind you I love my grand kids, but geez louise… I needed to get things done. It was bad enough that all of my decorations had been torn down in the area for painting, now I had kids to watch.

About half way through the painting process, things tore up kids running around, doors open to let the fumes out, (we live in Michigan Brrr) my son and his girl from PA show up a day early, to surprise me. Surprise, yay. Now to figure out where everyone is going to sleep! Well that was easy, just put the two couches together and viola`, make an instant bed. I am good!

They brought their dog, Cookie. She love me, and she is a sweet dog. Duke and Barney were going to have fun with her running around the yard.

Things finally calmed down, all the painting stuff was put away for the night we could enjoy our company. My oldest had taken his kids home for the night, the only kid left was the grand child that was living with me at the time. He was about 1 ½ years old, I was used to his antics, we just had to keep him away from the gifts. Not an easy task mind you, he liked all the pretty colors, and the paper made a really neat noise when ripped off.

Sometime during the night Barney our Mini-pin decided that he wanted to let Cookie aware of his feelings for her.   As boy dogs will do, he felt the need to mark his territory, of course the objects of his markings were the gifts!  Truly, what else would he have chosen to pee on?  We would remain ignorant of this until it was time to open them.  Imagine everyones surprise when they got gifts upon gifts!! 

The next morning my husband decided to try and finish up with the painting, but with guests and the baby of course it was difficult.  I was designated to cook breakfast for everyone.  Yay for me.  With that of course means cleaning up the mess.  Hmmm, Well I wanted to get a few last minute things, I’ll send Hubby later, I thought.

We wanted my brother to come for Christmas, it had been a while since we had seen him.  Because he doesn’t have a vehicle someone needed to go get him.  I left that up to my husband, he was the designated ‘go getter’.  He could pick up my few items that I needed on the way back.  Since they live on the other side of the state, the trip there is about 1 ½ hours and of course the same back.  Give them ½ for getting into the car, no problem.  He left about 3:30 pm for the pick up. 

They were planning on staying a few days and have 2 dogs that are like their children, so I knew they were coming as well.  Oh well, the more the merrier!  Everyone had arrived that was planning on coming, while we waited for my hubby, brother and sister in law.  Food was on the Island, Christmas music was playing, we were all having small talk.  It was nice.  There was Dad, Irene (My step-mom), Anthony and Amanda, Catherine and Rob, Matthew and Tasha, Suzanne and Sara.  Of course the kids Nathain, Brycen and Zayden the baby. 

Finally my Hubby arrived with my brother and sister in law. They entered with the dogs, Patches and Gracie (sisters). While my brother was busy un-packing the car, Terri decided to visit the food Island and see what goodies I had created. She got herself a plate and sat down to eat. My brother was getting out the food he had brought as well. If nothing else in our family we all are GREAT cooks. With all the talking going on and my brother and doing a bit of catching up, neither of us were paying attention to what was about to happen.

Within 10 minutes of entering our home Barney fell in Love. The object of his attentions? Patches. As I have said Barney is a Mini-Pin, so he is fairly tiny, Patches is a mixed breed of dog, a little of this a little of that, some chow some pit bull. She has what my brother calls ‘crockie-gator’ teeth, they sort of point out from her lower lip. She is brindle in color, so I can surely see why he would fall in love with her.

In the blink of an eye my calm, serenely planned Christmas, turned into a ‘mad house’. Barney had taken a flying leap and managed to connect with Patches. Terri instantly got mad, her baby was a virgin! She was blaming my brother for not getting her locked up sooner. There were roars of laughter from some. A couple of my guests were embarrassed a this wanton display of Love. Barney was hopping around one 1 leg while Patches was looking for scraps of food. Duke was following the two, probably wondering why he didn’t think of it first. Gracie was getting mad because she wasn’t getting the attention her sister was.

My sister in law was getting angrier by the second, tomorrow was Christmas Day, no Vet would be open to get the ’morning after’ pill. What were they going to do? She didn’t want any more puppies, she’d already run her course with breeding dogs. This tirade would last for the 3 days they would stay.

No one really knew what to do regarding this situation, none of wanted to hurt the dogs, with the exception of Terri. I’m sure she could have joyfully choked Barney by this time.
So it ran it’s course, after about an hour or so she finally let Barney go, and he limped around for a while before settling in for a well deserved nap. My brother was finally able to get the cage out and put the girls in it, Gracie still angry at Patches for getting the boyfriend first. I couldn't apologize enough. Things calmed down, Christmas went on without a hitch and everyone seemed to have a good time.

On February 29th (yep, leap year) I got a phone call, Patches was having her Pups.  She gave birth to a total of 11 Pups, 9 survived.  Barney, my 1 shot wonder!  As I had promised to her I would try to help her find homes for the Pups.  My daughter Sara wanted 1, so we now have Pogue.  She didn’t have a problem finding homes for the rest of them, with them having a small father some would be small dogs.  Her telling the story of how they were conceived, didn’t hurt in getting them homes either!