Yes, you read that right. We had a pretty normal Christmas for us. Stockings were hung by the… bookshelf with care and we read our traditional ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Tammy and I went out for a walk after the kids went to bed. It was very quiet on the streets at 10 pm Christmas Eve and with the dump of snow that we got on Monday night. It was a nice way to stop and take a breath.
Apparently, the kids were awake early (like four in the morning) waiting for the day. It’s nice to know that they are still excited for Christmas Day. We got up at 7:00 and opened stockings and then opened cards and had breakfast. Christmas cards were all handmade this year, which was nice and added something. Tammy was eloquent in hers, while mine to her was simple: “At least we got to spend a lot of time together this year.”
Ready to open stockings 
Murphy already OD’d on catnip 
My selection of Christmas cards from Tammy, Miranda and Ian
We had a little time to play with our toys before I had to finish the job with my present to Tammy: I cut her a new Snoopy decal for her new MacBook. It was super-fiddly to put on, but it ended up looking pretty good, at least from a distance.
We had a round of Skype/FaceTime calls with Baba and Grandpa, Grandpa Biickert and Stephanie and the gang. Sounded like everyone was having a good, if quiet Christmas. I managed to get my Advent of Code finished before lunch was ready, so that was one worry gone.
I also got a chance to set up my new cycling computer: a Wahoo Elemnt Roam. It’s a fair bit bigger than my old Elemnt Bolt (to the right), which should be easier on my eyes as they age. I really rely on this thing for navigation, judging time and distance and pace when leading out bike rides in the summer.
Turkey, stuffing, potatoes and all the rest were on the menu. It was a good, juicy bird and the stuffing was good, too.
After cleaning up, it was time for trifle and a tart or two while watching Elf, the last of our Christmas movies. By that time it was five o’clock and Tammy and I tried out the new net for the ping pong table and the two new ping pong paddles Santa brought.
Merry Christmas to all!
It all looks very nice. Too bad I couldn’t be with you this Christmas. Hopefully next year will be better. Merry Christmas to you all, Love Grandpa, Dad…..