Christmas 2009

As I sit and write this, I realize that I must return to work tomorrow. The last time I was in the office was December 23 - gonna be hard going back, but I have enjoyed myself over the last couple weeks. Here are some random happenings/thoughts that happened during the Christmas/New Year's Eve break.

My parents spend Christmas Eve night with us and we exchange presents on Christmas morning. As I find my way to the coffee pot, my father scares the crap out of me because I wasn’t expecting him to be sitting in the living room. Later he proceeds to ask “did you know that if you don’t wash the Metamucil granules off the spoon, it will become hard as a rock & won’t come off.” I reply “no, I didn’t know that.”

I brought Will along with me on my annual pilgrimage to Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve to pick up food for that evening’s dinner and some last minute shopping. Nothing says Christmas like watching red-necks choosing between blenders or coffee pots for their sweeties. (Momma Squire got the Dirt Devil!)

Attending the candlelight Christmas Eve service at our church. This has been my favorite church service of the year for many decades.

Youngest son, Kyle, giving the blessing on Christmas Eve and after blessing the food and every person (including dogs) in the family, closes with “well, I guess Happy Birthday. Amen.”

The Mother-in-law got Van Halen Guitar Hero for me. My friend Joe came out and Joe, Will, & I played Van Halen. Since Joe & I have traveled all over the Southeast to see VH, it was kinda cool sharing it with Will.

My mother-in-law fretting over where Will’s sleep pants were. She is famous for not labeling packages. Well, she had mistakenly put the wrong name on the package. No one was leaving the room until we found those pants.

Momma Squire beckoning me to the garage to show me presents for the boys that we forgot about.

Got tickets to the Vandy-Manhattan basketball game from Joe for the week after Christmas. Took Will and one of his basketball teammates. Was kind of like déjà vu since Joe & I would always to go to the Music City Invitational tournament after Christmas with his folks and family.

Took the boys to see The Blindside. Great movie with a great message. Kyle gave me a hug after the movie was over and said “thank you for taking me to see this movie. It was great.” This meant a lot since Kyle really wanted to stay home & play X-Box when I told him we were going. Sandra Bullock – “WOW” on many levels.

Spent New Year’s Eve with some friends in the neighborhood. Always a great time.

If you look through the list above, you will see a couple of common threads – family and friends. As I look back over Christmas break, I realize that is what it is all about. Peace to you & yours in 2010.

Zach, A Tennessee Squire