I made it home for several days for Christmas this year.  It was awesome.  I don’t know if its just my perception of previous Christmas trips home (to my parents) but this one seemed so much less hectic.  I came away from it very relaxed.

I spent considerable amounts of time with my nephews and my niece.  Considering I only see them twice a year its important for me to get as much time with them as I can.  Rider definitely remembers who I am, and Wyatt spent several hours playing hiding go seek around the house with me.  He also has this weird noise he makes instead of words.  Something of an “aaaaeeeee.” Its pretty adorable.  ‘Wyatt, say uncle A.”  “aaaaaaeeeeeee”  It rocks.  I also played downstairs (in the play area) with Takara.  She insisted on going down the kiddie slide over and over again as I set up two giant teddy bears at the bottom for her to run into.  I was done after about ten times, but Takara kept it up for 30+ times, laughing the whole time.

As usual my family sat down for multiple board and card games.  It is the expected precedent at family gathers, that at some point we’ll sit down for hours of games.

I also saw Reg, Shane, and Kevin (not bad, 3 out of the 5 friends I hung out with regularly in high school).  Reg rocked the Karaoke.  He even came close to hitting the high notes singing songs by the Darkness.

I don’t know what specifically made this trip so relaxing compared to others, but I think, maybe, it was because I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to.  Not that I did much, but there wasn’t any running around, wasn’t any rushed feeling.  There weren’t things I “had to do.”  I came home, played it all by ear, had a particularly relaxing christmas morning and some good times with friends and family.

What more could I ask of in a Christmas Break.