Christmas Post-- foiled again!!

Christmas by me.

Christmas Eve-day begins with the door flying open loudly and a sudden "I want to kill something" sensation that can only come from having the light turned on suddenly without your half-conscious consent. This is Grandma's version of a wake-up call at 7:00 in the freakin morning. 7:02... 7:02 and 30 seconds... and then again at 7:04.... I must have been officially woken up a good twenty times... not that I would have had the chance to go back to sleep if I had so desired. We had to leave the house for church at 9, and by the time I relented to the high-pitched and continuous "Get up!! Let's go!!" sounds, I now had an hour and a half to get ready.
We went to the church in Avonlea (45 minutes-ish from Moose Jaw), where Melissa (my trendy cousin), MJ and Myself (I wouldn't want to be the only one without an "M" name) sang Oh Holy Night in three parts, and led the chorus singing.

Christmas Eve is also the traditional time for eating Grandma's chicken noodle soup and opening presents. The first tradition began way back when, when relatives of my Grandma-- then just a mother-- came for dinner on the wrong day. Chicken noodle soup has been the custom ever since.
The second tradition has also been this way since I was born. Us kids never had to go through the stage of being weaned off of the belief in Santa Claus, because we never waited until Christmas morning to open gifts, and Santa never freakin brought us anything anyway. Jerk.

Christmas day we all sleep in until 11. Melissa comes over around noon-thirty and begins the pain-staking all-day hair process. This has become tradition as well. MJ gets her hair cut. Then MJ gets blonde streaks. Nessa then in turn gets the foils. Michelle calls. MJ gets rinsed out. Then Nessa gets rinsed out. Chris calls. Jenni and Topher call. Break for Turkey dinner. Travis calls. Mmmmmmmmm.... so full.... cannot function. Melissa passes out in a turkey-induced stupor. Ness and MJ join Mom, both Aunts and Matthew (other cousin) in playing a rousing game of Rook. Davie calls. Mmmmm more food... nuts, chocolate, cider, tarts... so full I can't remember what the crap I ate. Ness calls Caleb.
Jeremy arrives from Toronto.
Ness gets her hair cut. MJ gets low-lights put in.
Pause for Jer to open his Christmas presents. Ness had drawn his name and bought him a guitar cuz she's the coolest person ever.
Ness gets the red put in. MJ rinses out. Ness rinses out.
Ness plays Alone and If That's Who You Are for Liss and Jer. Liss goes home. Jer works on a new song he's writing with his new guitar that I think he should name Betsy-Sue.
Ness blogs.

Oh yes, the presents.
Limeny Snicket: a Series of Unfortunate Events-- books 1 through 10 - from Trav.
"Under one condition!" journal from Davie.
New luggage and a "Saskatchewan Sings!" CD from Mom
New tank top from Dad
Wicked-- the book-- from MJ
Huskie sweats from Ther
Pictures-of-me-and-other-awesome-people calendar - from Bobber
Toronto shirt, cow change purse (do we all know Ness loves cows?) strange yet curiously addictive German imported mints - Jer
Also a Roots back pack, socks, a dice game... from 'tives.
New hair-do from Liss!! I'm hot.
But we all know that now, don't we?? ;)

-RedicNess (There, that's for you, Trendy #1).