Holiday Hibernation Hangover

"Exhaustion" by Rafi Talby

The holidays just about did me in this year.  Like a large looming elephant, the Christmas tree is still standing in the living room and the indoor decorations are all sitting on the dining room table.  Santas and nutcrackers stare at one another on the table, comparing beards.  Meanwhile, the ornaments are beginning to murmur, demanding the stage lights be plugged back into the wall for an encore.  The unplugged Christmas lights that I strung upstairs for the grandkids are quickly becoming part of the regular décor, yet offer no illumination to the solution for my malady.  My zip and zing, so vibrant and cheery before and during Christmas, has morphed into lengthy slumber and snores. 

Oh, I’m not the only one – Miss Nanna the Dawg can be found in her dog bed next to the heater at most any hour of the day.

I suppose the reason for my lethargy is the cold, wet weather.  It feels more like a holiday hibernation hangover.  After Gene gets up out of bed to work, I snuggle even deeper under the covers and quilt.  When I finally will myself awake, I make a cup of delicious hot chocolate (our own special mixture) and crawl back into bed, sipping cocoa and reading my email and Facebook on my iPhone.
 
Let me share with you a few pictures of the delightful causes for my holiday hangover.

Jace, Jake Joey, AJ, Alexis and Gene (Grandpa)

Gene put the grandkids to work as soon as they arrived, having them rake leaves and smash all the aluminum cans we had collected.  They redeemed the cans for approximately $16.00 and then headed to the Big Top Candy Shop on South Congress for a treat.

The Big Top Candy Shop is definitely an experience not to be missed while in Austin.  Each time I enter, I feel as though I’m reverting back into that little girl with wide eyes and cavities, excited about the enormous selection of sweets before me.  There are nostalgic candies, handmade chocolates and novelty items.  Our favorite was the Box of Boogers!  All in all, I think Gene spent about $63.00 on our confectionary purchases.  Those kids sure love their Grandpa!

And, if that wasn’t enough sugar to create a whirling on this side of the planet strong enough to cause a monstrous sandstorm in Dubai, I took them there a second time during their visit! What was I thinking?!!  I know what it was.  I didn’t want my two nieces, Corinne and Cassie to feel left out of the fun.  After all, I’m vying for Best Aunt on The Planet award.

Jace, Corinne, Cassie, Alexis and AJ at Big Top Candy Shop

With visions of all those sugar plums dancing in their heads, I don’t know how the kids fell asleep on Christmas Eve. 

During their stay, we drove down to Wimberley, Texas to meet up with my sister, Cameron, for the Trail of Lights.  It is so much fun and much less crowded than Austin’s Trail of Lights.  Great jumping court jesters, the Princess’ carriage is under attack!

For the Trail of Lights, various Wimberley community groups, churches and local businesses create individual light and interactive displays at the EmilyAnn Theatre and Gardens, and the people there are some of the friendliest Texans you’ll ever meet!

One of the many perks is free hot chocolate with jumbo marshmallows, and $1.00 will buy you all the fixin’s to make your own S’more (roasted marshmallows and Hershey’s chocolate bar mashed between two graham crackers), along with the use of a long skewer over at the fire pit.  Here’s a picture of Aunt Cam showing the kids how to expertly roast a marshmallow over the fire.

The day after Christmas, we journeyed 90 miles to the Double M Ranch, near Fort Hood, to see Granny and Grandad (great-grandparents).  I made enough enchiladas to feed a third world country, while my brother, Craig, and his wife, Cely, made all the delicious side dishes. 

This was the first time my parents had the opportunity to meet Jon, Gene’s son, and his family – Jon’s wife Kazuko and his children, Olivia, Jake and Joey.  That gave Grandad a new audience for all his safari hunting stories.  Here’s a picture of my beautiful granddaughters and nieces at the Ranch.

Olivia, Alexis, Cassie and Corinne

We made wonderful, heaping mounds of memories together this Christmas.  Maybe I’m not really hungover or exhausted. Maybe I’m just missin’ those precious grandchildren of mine!

"Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.”—Mary H. Waldrip

“Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends - and hardly ever our own grown children.”—Ruth Goode

 Love those Littles, Y’all!!