Merry Christmas

Hello Everyone!
I hope you all are settling down after a beautiful holiday meal to football game, a card game, present openings, sledding, skiing, hockey, watching the kids wreck there new found toys, or even some liquid holiday cheer enhanced karaoke (save the Kung Foo Fighting for E). Those are some of my favorites. My wish for this Christmas is that you all get to do those things and live in the happiness they bring. Remember to appreciate them.
Here I have a lot of time to reflect on Christmas past. I find myself telling the same thing to people which clues me to tell all of you about it. My Christmas memory.
I remember getting a lot of presents; I love presents and Mom and Dad always made sure we had more than our share. But it is not the gifts I remember, it's Christmas Eve. I love Christmas Eve; of course here it is Christmas Eve. When I think about Christmas what I remember is the glow of candle light on our family dinning table. Mom preparing the most delicate dishes she can imagine for five of the least delicate boys (yes Dad that is you, too) to grace a table. Mom and Dad worked so hard all year long to give us, me, this one moment and it resonated so intensely for me. Erik, Chris, Art and I would laugh and misbehave while Mom tried to culture us and Dad tried to contain our enthusiasm. We would sit at the table and as casually as possible, try to blow at the candles to just within a hair of extinguishing them, without giving away that we were actually blowing at all. Sudden and exasperated sighs would come from the four of us directed coincidentally at the Yule Log in the center of the table. That was quality fun. Then there was the discussion about whether the boys should be allowed to open a present tonight or we should wait until tomorrow. It was a rhetorical question, of course, but one that never ceased to entertain Dad. Then later we would sit in the living room with a fire going and the enormous Christmas Tree lit up like Rockefeller Plaza. I would sit close to Dad and play the perennial game of "Guess the Ornament." What a moment! Then the obligatory cookies and milk for Santa and the struggle to stay awake; why didn't that ever work?
I love that story. I love to think of it now, here in this nasty place. It makes me smile and fills me with happiness. Thank you, Mom and Dad. For that memory and all the rest.
I would be remiss if I did not mention my other Christmas memory. It was only six years ago this weekend that I asked Erin to marry me in a terribly clumsy and unromantic fashion. Didn't stop her from agreeing. Thanks Honey, I love you. I regret that I can't be there to help build those memories for our little girl. This will be a great year for her. She is just starting to understand about the rules to the season.
Well, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Play a game of QDR for me guys. And mention Daddy to Rosie for me.
I'm off to watch the Vikes play the Skins, Go Vikes!
Love ya',
Cliff
p.s. There are some new and newly added old photos on my picasa page. The link is on the right.