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We left Connecticut today, having spent a precious few days with my in-laws after a precious few days with my family. I was keeping track of the miles and hours and nights under different ceilings, but I’ve sorta lost the numbers in my head. Our resting days are usually pretty busy.
Sitting there, on that tarmac, in those terrible airplane chairs, was actually a moment of stillness.
Tonight we are at home, unpacking, doing laundry and repacking. Tomorrow we are on the move again.
Today we drove down and had lunch at a Smashburger with our friend Paige. She and The Yankee go way back. Paige stood in a blizzard and shot our engagement photos and then stood in a heat wave and shot our wedding.
That’s friendship.
Anyway, Paige had a great year and we are unfortunately too far away to celebrate with her over her new family. But we got to do it today, on another cold and icy day.
Isn’t she cute?
Also, weather:
And, now, moving pictures about snow and ice and weather. #AShortFilmOfNoConsequence pic.twitter.com/ZgIZwEXepU
— kenny smith (@kennysmith) December 29, 2015
The season has such a buildup, for questionable reasons, and then it is here. And then it is gone. Not the way we do it. We drove from Connecticut to New Jersey for another Christmas on Saturday.
While there, I got a better shot of the Santa light glasses:
And we celebrated with this guy, his first Christmas.
He is our … hang on, I can get this right … our godnephew.
It is a complicated system. Most importantly, he’s a charmer.
Sammi the love dog agrees:
I was reading a book with the little guy and this passage really spoke to me. I wanted to share it with you here:
This evening we also went to a mall. I shot some video while The Yankee shopped:
I went to a store at the mall. I also shot these images. #AShortFilmOfNoConsequence pic.twitter.com/a0famDBpfa
— kenny smith (@kennysmith) December 29, 2015
We gathered in the living room in pajama pants and opened presents across the late part of the morning. I’m sure it is a tradition that once took place earlier in the day, but we’re all a bit older now, so it is now a sorta-brunch affair.
Some of my presents:
I’ll wear them next year with my pajama pants.
This book is hilarious and I held up the present-opening system at least twice reading aloud from it:
The Yankee gave me this great gift. She knows me so well!
My mother-in-law has a pretty good read on me, too. This book looks promising:
But this is the one that really seals the deal, educational Pez with the early presidents:
Now I need the full set. Do they make dispensers of all the presidents? I’m going to need some more of those for next Christmas.
Another great book:
We had the traditional prime rib dinner, with the shrimp cocktail appetizer and homemade cocktail sauce. That’s a tradition we don’t have in my family and that’s a shame. We enjoyed a delicious meal and wrapped up a lovely day over plates that told the full “A Visit From St. Nicholas” story. This was the one I had:
My mother-in-law has a cool advent calendar:
Santa on a bicycle? That’s great stuff.
I made a video this evening:
Moving pictures for your Merry Christmas. #AShortFilmOfNoConsequence #fb pic.twitter.com/jKxmKMKAoL
— kenny smith (@kennysmith) December 25, 2015
Somewhere she found these holographic glasses that changes the lights. There are snowflakes and stars and Santas. She prefers the Santa version:
Christmas candy. Nerve pills, they call them:
The problem is in the dosage.
