I don't even know where to start? We've had an amazing holiday together as a family - with an unprecedented amount of time together in the same space as a group without incident. (Testament to seperate cars and places to spend the night) My parents came in on Christmas Eve and spent time with my grandparents while we did a holiday bash at Michelle's. Christmas morning we did the just the Throops till my parents, grandparents, brothers and sister came over around 11. True Jones fashion, I said 10AM, they arrived at 11. We enjoyed a huge brunch (in shifts, small house) and took turns opening many, many gifts (thanks Mom and Dad!)
Evan has up until this point been the designated gift distributor because he's the youngest (18) but Roland officially took his position this year. Guess that's about as good as it gets for our family traditions. Roland did OK, but he only needed to open about three presents before his brain turned to mush, which meant he quit caring about passing out other peoples gifts, too. Another great family tradition is useful, sometimes embarrassing or repetitive, family gifts. Turns out this was the year for hats. I think all-in-all the guys got about 2-3 hats each.
Our big surprise this year was tickets to the Chargers vs. Titans game on Christmas night. We casually saved that present for last and let Brian open it. Couldn't believe we kept it a secret this long but it worked and Brian was completely shocked! He really couldn't believe it and studied the tickets! We all applauded and then kicked it in high gear to get everyone ready and out the door. Old folks had to be dropped off, long-underwear found, layers and layers piled on, ham sandwiches for tailgating and...oh what am I forgetting...hats? Check. Oh yeah, beverages! And coats! Brian was so happy he tried to leave without his coat, but I begged my parents to bring it anyways. Good thing because it was freezing! He thanked me later. Jennifer and Calen collected everyone at my parents hotel downtown and away they went! There are many, many stories from this event, but none that I can really share on our site. All that needs to be reported is that the Chargers won and everyone had a great time!
From there the holidays became a big blur of family, football and food. (We all gained about 5 lbs.) It's easier for us to keep the kids at home, but we did venture out for lunch at Cantina Lorado for some really good Mexican food, and a visit to my parents hotel to let Roland run laps and ride the elevator a million times. Nothing like a glass elevator in a 12-story tall open atrium. Very entertaining on a cold day! We all tried something new: fruitcake. It was OK, we liked the chocolate cake and Hello Dollies better. Last night we enjoyed Brian's amazing chili along with great football and a bonfire. It's been wonderful being with everyone and I can't wait to see everyone (in phases) again soon!
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