It’s back to the salt mines after an eventful Christmas weekend.

The first wave of family left an hour or so after the second wave arrived, so the tense intra-family moments were kept to a minimum. The gifts were a big hit this year, with SDSM making the biggest haul of the kids. She got the normal assortment of clothes and trinkets, but she also hit it big with a new iPod and cell phone. Both gifts made FDSM rather jealous and perhaps made a point about who the good kid really is.

I finally scored the coveted Red Swingline stapler for my desk and a back-lit keyboard for my home machine. FDFM knitted me a brown skull cap that could have come straight from American Eagle and with proof MY MOM loves me more than anybody, she got me the watch that I’ve been eyeing since October. Not the most expensive watch ever made, but the one that completely fits my personality. THE BOY got a butt-load of cheap crap, topped off with the single coolest guy gadget ever invented, ROBO-SAPIEN V2. This thing is so guy oriented that it even belches and quotes Johnny Bravo. And since it is electronic, the hacks are already on line.

THE WOMAN, and SDFM made out pretty well too, both getting pretty much everything on they put on their list to Santa. Of course SDFM momentarily forgot who she was dealing with (i.e. ME)and was stunned when she realized that it really was a Hello Kitty watch in her stocking. Another reminder to be very careful of what you ask for because you will end up getting it.

Back with more later.