on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day!

I really love that song, don't you?
"I saw three ships come sailing in on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
I saw three ships come sailing in on Christmas Day in the morning..."
That isn't one of the many Christmas songs I heard this morning as I drove to Glennville.
Nor is it one of the popular ones I sang with the carolers - and Elvis! - last evening.
Still, it's so very appropriate on this 10th day of TwelveTide!
Wouldn't you agree?
(smile!)
I brought along the Santa bag (from Nami), filled with flavored candy canes (from the Trustees Theatre), hoping that children would be there. And of course they were!

Here's my Aunt Barbara,
fetching gifts and envelopes
from under the tree.
She even had a gift for me!
It was a lovely new shirt!
My students will be so surprised
to see me in such grown-up clothes.
(smile)

Then, it was all a blur,
as five-year-old Phoenix,
and his cousins Aidan, Brennan,
and lovely little Iralynn,
pulled gifts from stockings
and tore paper from presents!
I bet that activity went on
for almost thirty minutes!

Uncle John was there for the post-dinner festivities, too!
He even had the good grace to act surprised
every time his name was called out
and another gift was placed before him.
That's his daughter-in-law Teresa
joining him on the couch.
His son, Mark?
On the other couch, snoring away!
(smile)

The inevitable finally happened, of course...
a toy or too collapsed under the
enthusiastic hands of a child!
"Past it, Daddy", as Zuzu would say.
In this case, it was Amanda working on
the new slinky of her son, Phoenix,
and Christopher (cousin Becky's son)
setting a-right the one for Iralynn.

When I departed in late afternoon, I had a plateful of food along for the ride.
Any of the deviled eggs?
'Fraid not. Even though I had been set to peeling the hard-boiled - and still delightfully warm - eggs for my Aunt, none remained, testament to their tastiness.
But that 25-pound turkey had plenty for seconds... and for my to-go plate! I took a massive chunk of her cornbread dressing, too, as well as some mac-n-cheese, loaded with sharp cheddar. That'll be my supper when I get home!

First, though, I popped in for my kitteh-sitting duties.
You can see that Jinx really loves the attention!
Such a shame that you can't hear the constant -
and deep - purring from this photo!
I took it as 'proof of life' for Kevin,
with the message, "Hey, Dad, she gave me turkey!"
A little treat for a good old-lady cat.
Now, dash away, dash away -
dash away me!

i thank You, God, for such a blessed day!