Class Picture!

Vi's class picture, 2011.

This is the morning before she got her ears pierced. Oh, you want to hear that story? Okay.

Vi has been asking to get her ears pieced for almost a year. At first, I thought, "No way. She's too young. Why would such a little girl need earrings?" This is such a good example of KGOY (Kids Getting Older Younger, a concept that has been on my radar since reading Peggy Orenstein's 'Cinderalla Ate My Daughter,' a book I highly recommend). Earrings are for big kids and grown-ups. Right?

Right? Or am I picking some arbitrary age-bracket?

After a few months of replying to the request with "I'll think about it," or "Maybe when you're older," I started really considering it. This wasn't some strange notion of hers about needing earrings to be a princess or beautiful. This was a rather well-rounded kid who happens to like jewelry. Vi likes the DP's (Disney Princesses) a lot, indeed. Just about as much as Disney wants her to. She also likes Star Wars, Superman, begs to see "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Spiderman," and has no fear of creepy-crawlies or roller coasters. She plays with such a wide variety of toys that when people ask me what she's "into," I struggle with an answer.

Even if she is well-rounded - how do I talk about things I think are beautiful without her thinking those 'things' are requirements of beauty? I try to tell her how beautiful she is when she's as far from 'princess' as possible - when she's muddy, climbing a tree, with messy hair in her pajamas, holding frogs, making compost. When she is dressed up in her "glass slippers" and covered in lip gloss, I tell her she looks fancy, and I try to avoid the word pretty.

There is something special to me, however, about the ways we dress up as adults. The things typically associated with women in our society - dresses, jewelry, pretty shoes, make-up, a nice hair-do - are fun for me. I played dress-up as a kid, but I don't think I was overtaken by a specific concept of beauty. I got my ears pierced when I was 8, after admiring my big sister's lovely lobes. In high school and college, I chopped my hair off, wore baggy clothes, and adopted a rather androgynous look. I didn't wear make-up, but for some reason I still wore jewelry. On top of that, I continued piercing my ears to mark special occasions. I have my original two, then one from my semester in Spain, one from a particularly special date, and one from when my dear grandmother Vigolia died. I have a total of five holes in my ears. (I stopped there. No gauged holes, no nose, no belly, and certainly nothing else!)

For a year in college, I somehow ended up managing the front-end of a day spa and salon. I think I was somewhat of a pet project of the cosmetologists, as they re-made me from a Supercuts and L L Bean non-model into a girly-girl again. It was admittedly fun, playing dress-up and having professionals play with my looks. I feel, though, that I lost some of myself that year. The ideals about self-image and beauty I want Vi to embrace are better demonstrated than simply spoken.

(This motherhood thing involves so much self-exploration. I'm exhausted.)

Dan and I talked about earring readiness. That she wouldn't do well with the pain, that she wasn't ready to take care of the holes and studs. We agreed that setting an age limit seemed, again, arbitrary. When I noticed other kids with pierced ears, I asked their parents about the experience. It just wasn't a big deal to any of them.

I told Vi it would hurt just like getting a shot at the doctor's office, to which she responded with tears, and she said she didn't want to get a shot. Some time passed, and she started talking about it again. This time, it was more like "I want to get my ears piered (she still leaves the 'c' out when she says 'pierced - very cute), so I will be brave at the doctor's office when I get my shot."

Well, it turned out that we didn't opt for any shots at this year's check-up. (Another topic for another day.) At the end of her appointment, she cried to me "But now I can't get my ears pierced!!" As if the two were inextricably linked. It was one of those upsets that was sad and endearing at the same time. I assured her that, when the time was right, she could still get her ears pierced regardless of her vaccination schedule.

She kept bringing it up. Not daily, not relentlessly, but in a matter-of-fact way. It wasn't "Can I get my ears pierced?" It was "When I get my ears pierced."

On school picture day, she woke up determined to get her ears pierced. She actually wanted to get them pierced on the way to school. Yeah, right, I thought. Actually, I think I said that out loud. On our way out of school that evening, out of the blue she said to a teacher, "Good night, I'm going to get my ears pierced now." Her teacher raised her eyebrows and looked at me for confirmation. I said, "Uh...um...that's not really the plan for this evening. Should we talk about doing that? Uh....let's wait until Daddy gets home and talk about it." (And I thanked my lucky stars to have a co-parent...both for the ability to discuss with him and the opportunity to delay the conversation.)

We got home, and she kept referring to the evening's timeline as it pertained to getting her ears pierced. "And then, after dinner, we'll go to the mall." "Before bed, we're going to the mall." And so on.

Dan came home, and I informed him of her intentions. I was so stunned by her determination, that I really didn't have an opinion on the matter. This kid has always been in charge of her own timeline. (For better or for worse.) She seemed to know that today was the day.

We turned on YouTube and found some videos of the experience. Dan and I were appalled at the parents bribing their kids, as if the piercing was somehow more important to the parents than desired by the child. We also cringed whenever the videotaping Dad said, "You're okay, it's not that bad." Yeah, right, Dad. Nice minimizing of your child's feelings. Even seeing some kids crying, she was undeterred. "NOW can we go to the mall?"

So, we shrugged, and went to the mall.

It went down like this: She picked out studs (so, so pretty, delicate little CZ and white gold daisies! Studs have come a long way since 1986). The piercer (Piercing specialist? Technician? Employee?) explained that she was working alone, and would have to do one ear at a time. I knew this could prove to be problematic, but we proceeded. She sat Vi down, marked her ears, cleaned them, explained the process clearly (and quite sweetly) to Vi, counted to three, and click! Pierced Vi's left ear.

Vi let out a delayed cry. Parents, you know what that means. The longer it takes for the actual sobbing to start, the longer it will go on. And go on it did. Oh, did it ever go on. When she was again calm, we delicately approached the topic of The Other Ear. This was hard to navigate. On the one hand, did it really matter if she only had one done, and we had to come back for the other? On the other hand, we had just spent $50. Would she EVER want to come back for the other ear? Would we just leave this stud in, or take it out? If we left it in, what sort of comments would other people make that might sway her decision in ways that go against my albeit mixed values on the topic? It would be upsetting to me if she made the choice based on teasing, or because some well-meaning adult said "Don't you want to look pretty?" Again, this was not supposed to be about being pretty. What exactly IS it about? I asked myself.

I actually heard myself say something unexpected: "We can go get ice cream if you do the second ear." Yikes. I had become one of the YouTube parents. Yuck.

In the end, after about 20 minutes of what I am proud to say was mostly calm, non-pressuring discussion, of course Vi came up with a solution for herself. She asked the employee for rubber gloves and an alcohol swab so she could pierce her stuffy's ears. After play-acting it out a few times, she told the employee that she could do the second ear while Vi pierced her dog's ears. 1, 2, 3 click! Followed by another set of delayed tears...which lasted less than a minute. She moved on to earring-to-earring smiles.

I still don't know where I fall on my inner controversy of beauty or what this experience will mean to her in the long run. I assure myself that this was her choice (and then immediately second-guess my judgement, with a little bit of "Why would you allow a four-year-old to make such a big decision?!?" Which I follow-up with "It's not THAT big of a decision. Calm down.")

I must say, though, her little ears really *do* look pretty. And I Can. Not. Wait. to go earring shopping with her.

Suddenly, she's almost 4

It's summertime in Maine - the trees have blossoms, the seedlings are growing in our sleep, kids are playing until dark...it's just wonderful. In our little family, our garden is planted, Vi has just started a short season of tee-ball, and we are stocked up on sunscreen.

Dan is still working at Hamilton Marine, and was promoted over the winter to managing the commericial fishing department. He still keeps busy with other areas and would love more responsibility. They are a really nice group of people with good Maine values, so it doesn't seem like the life is getting sucked out of him (especially this time of year.)

I'm still balancing, juggling, and working a lot. Half of my week I am at Gilchrist Scott taking care of bookkeeping, human resources, marketing, and administrative tasks. You probably remember that I was there before Vi was born, and left soon after returning from maternity leave. It's really nice being back with these folks - they are such a nice, smart, professional group of people! The other half of my week is divided between three places. I am doing bookkeeping and human resources for Huston and Company (I know - isn't it funny? I'm back at the two places I worked at before Vi wsa born! Ditto on how nice it is to be back with some of my favorite people!) and a research firm that specializes in early childhood literacy. This is a group of uber-smart and cool women, and I love the half-days I get to spend with them. I am also doing most of the bookkeeping for Vi's daycare center, which is so nice. I feel like a broken record, but I really love being part of the staff among such wonderful people!

And, Miss Vi, you ask? Miss Critter herself? She is almost four. Vi is almost four. She has been talking about her birthday a lot lately, and we're still up in the air about how to celebrate. She would like it if we went to Disney World, but no way in hell am I going to Florida in July. (We're going for MY birthday in January, instead.)

This Spring I kept Vi busy on the weekends with gymnastics and swimming lessons. This summer it's tee-ball, then soccer, and a creative movement dance class. (The required leotard is pretty darn cute.) She can climb like a monkey, ride her bike (with training wheels), and jump a good couple of feet with both feet together. She is practicing her spinning, because she prefers to wear a skirt that twirls. (Don't ask what happens when she is presented with a non-twirling skirt. It's just not a pretty scene.)

She still loves books, reading, and being read to. When I get to peek in at her at school, she is either reading (alone, with friends, with a teacher) or playing "monster" with her friends. This kid has lung power and can shriek and scream with the best of them.

Vi is also using her lung power for singing. She has *such* good pitch - even my mother (who cringes if she hears Canon in D being played in C...I owe her so many apologies for high school...but that's another story) has commented on it. We sit at the piano and I play songs and she sings along. Hurray!! We are firmly in the phase of made-up songs. Here's a little piece she composed for me, at bedtime, as a "Peaceful bedtime song."

The Lost Princess and her Lost Prince

The lost princess, had lost her prince
He was fighting a dragon
She was scared he had been eat-ed
But he fight-ed the dragon
And he went to the castle and went upstairs
And the lost princess found her prince
And they kissed true love's kiss!

(I know...kissing...yikes.)

This morning she had me select a card out of a stack of animal information cards. "Would you like this fox?" "Yes, yes I would, thank you." "Okay, kid, now I'm going into my office to computer-it-up."

She is enjoying going on field trips with her "Hoppy Frog Friends" and her "School Mommies." They visited the planetarium this week, where, she says, they "were doing some learning."

She is now saying the "s" at the beginning of words (including words that used to be 'tephanie, 'chool, 'tairs, and 'top), pronounced pretend correctly (it used to be te-dend), but she still says "pur-ize" for "surprise." It's progress, but her own way of talking was so darn cute. We all 'truggled with the decision to 'tart modelling proper 'peech.

Vi has us participate in a Fairy Day Parade on occasion, where we march around the house banging on instruments loudly. Dan and I try to follow directions, but it's often hard to hear over the cymbals.

She awards people with a "dickory prize" for things like eating all of your dinner, winning a race, or showing good behavior. We think she is saying "dickory" for "victory," but we like it just the way it is.

Vi is really good at Memory games. She kicks our butts most of the time, actually. If one gets a match, Vi will cheer and dance, saying "Yes! Yes! YOU get to go to college!"

She asks what words mean all the time. I love it. The other day she asked, "What does 'predicament' mean?" I offered a simple definition, something like "A predicament is a difficult situation. If you're having a problem, and you have to find out how to fix it, it could be a predicament." She replied, "Yeah. OR- it's like a kind of candy?" Because, you know...it's a predica-mint.

Grammy: Vi, what do you do at college? Vi: That's where you go to die, and rest a while.

Me: Vi, what did you do (with Uncle Drew and her cousins) last night? Vi: Well, we didn't go to Funtown. Wait, what did you say?

"Then the caterpillar crawls inside the canoe, and becomes a beautiful butterfly!"

"I'm drinking poison apple drink, becuase I'm a grown-up, but I won't die, because I'm magical, and poison apple drink turns into sparkles in my belly and turns me into a fairy!"

She's full of imagination, a self-proclaimed princess, coloring artist AND "sunscreener." She has big emotions, lots of energy, *can* sleep through the night, colors inside the lines in coloring books, writes all of the letter of the alphabet to compose various stories/signs/letters/cards/songs, knows all of the words to "Tomorrow" from "Annie," and is starting to replace "Mommy" and "Daddy" with "Mom" and "Dad." She can run and climb in heels, serve herslef a bowl of cereal, operate our cell phones, and communicate with friends to solve problems.

One year from now, we'll be visiting the neighborhood kindergarten for "orientation."

Yup, she's almost four.

(You should hear her say "yup.")

Vi-ral video

Vi's new hit single, "Chickadee Song (Wonderful Day)"

Vi-isms

In the spirit of "I hope you're writing these cute things down," here are some of Vi's silly words of late:

Vi: Boo and Lellow make Geen!
Me: That's right! What do yellow and red make?
Vi: They make....I think it's....something liiiiike.....WE DON'T PUT PLAY-DOUGH IN OUR MOUTHS!!

Me: What do you want to dream about tonight?
Vi: Uuuummm.... I think.... my sleep is about....Pincesses....Kanga-Woos.... and Kickens. (Chickens)
Me: That sounds great! Can I come, too?
Vi: Yeah! (looks at me skeptically) Are you thinking about Pincesses? Kanga-woos? And Kickens?
Me: Yes, yes I am.
Vi: Okay. See you there. Good night. I luzz you. (kiss, kiss) I kiss you.

Vi: When I was really, really born? I came out of your belly and drank hot milk from your nipples. I was soooo cute! I was so born.

Vi: I going to the toy store, 'bye!
Me: Who are you going with?
Vi: My husband. He's 14 years old, and his name is Darrell.

Dan, reading On Market Street, where S is clearly for Shoes: S is for saxophones.
Vi: No, no, no, no, no. S is for Shoes. And for Stephanie, too.

Vi: NO! I DON'T WANT TO!
(Had to throw in a little bit of the temper tantrums she's dished out recently!)

Nonsense words: Boutique. Gleeky. Muggy.

Vi, drifting off to sleep: You my best friend, ezzer, ezzer.

While watching a folk musician perform in the park at Mill Creek, Vi sat and listened to every song, then brought the musician a stick or a leaf. After each song. He sweetly accepted each gift.

I told Vi how to distract Dan from his probing questions about his birthday present. She waves her hands in front of his face and says, "Bacon, bacon, bacon!"

She requests "big long noodles and chopsticks" at least once a week. Still eating a lacto-fruitarian diet, for the most part. Picking out her own clothes. Sleeping through the night. Only wearing diapers at night and at naptime.

Suddenly, she's almost three.

Rising up from the ashes?

Here we are. May in Maine. The lilacs are moments away from full-aromatic-bloom, much to my delight. The birds and wind chimes and giggling children are filling the sound waves with that pleasant sensation that yes, Summer is almost here.

Thank God, because this Spring SUCKED! :-) Two unemployed parents, trying to make ends meet. We did pretty well, considering. I mean, we didn't kill each other!

Dan started his new position with Hamilton Marine today. He'll be the head of the electrical department. He is happy to be back in the marine world, has seen a few favorite customers already, and enjoyed learning more about the company's values from the CEO today. We're hopeful this is a good fit and grateful for the opportunity!

I am gearing up with a few gigs. First, I'm working at daycare, handling the receivables on a barter basis. This is fun, rewarding, and a huge discount on our much-needed, much-appreciated child care. Second, I'm the business manager for a marketing firm which focuses on local, sustainable businesses' image, messaging and overall strategy. Third, I'm an account manager for a sales rep placement group, working to fill short-term sales projects with high-energy, highly-skilled sales professionals. Busy, busy!

Vi is still loving pre-school. We feel really fortunate to have such a wonderful team of people in our village. They truly love our kid and treat her with the respect and kindness we want her to, in turn, learn as a way of life.

Our garden is planted, well... mostly. We're still going to put in some zucchini and squash. Dan keeps adding raised beds. Our backyard will soon be one big garden! I'm looking forward to lots of tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, beets, peppers, beans, peas and herbs. The soil is amazing this year; it holds water and is so rich. Dan's been reading everything he can get his hands on - even making deliberate trips to the library - to expand his gardening skills and philosophies. You know how Dan is - a vat of information. Well, be prepared for lessons you didn't know you needed to learn on tomato roots...or something like that.

Spring has Sprung!

thursday morning:

We have little flowers starting to pop their green heads up out of the soil. Brave, they are. Leaving the warmth of their dirt-blankets, hoping for enough sunshine for nourishment to realize their goal of flower-dom.

That's how I feel right now, too. Full of hope for a brighter tomorrow. Dependent on faith that I will find a way to nourish my soul through my career. Colleagues tell me how brave I am. I say, I must be brave, because I'm terrified! This is either the stupidest or the smartest thing I've ever done, leaving my job before securing another.

I hope we don't have any late frosts.

thursday afternoon:

My friends, colleagues and associates are amazing. I am truly inspired and full of hope for my career. How lucky am I to be in a position where I can hold out for a dream job...at least for a couple of months, I can hold out! I have some time to myself, time to network, time to play, time to rest...I have given myself the gift of time! The possibilities seem endless.

thursday evening:

Dan: "I got laid off today."

thursday night:

I'm just holding onto hope, trying to stay positive, and hanging onto the faith that the sun will come out tomorrow.

Setting my Priorities

For those of you who have scratched your heads at my odd facebook status updates lately...here is my best attempt to explain what's going on.

When New Year's rolled around, I didn't bother making any real "resolutions." I did join a gym, as a gift from my brother, Dan. I decided that this would be the Year of Lindsay. No more aches and pains, no more weakness. Just me, doing something - anything - for myself, for once. I hadn't even made it INTO the gym once before the effects of this attitude change were bubbling to the surface.

When I looked at my life, I realized that there were a lot of things I could never change. If I wanted to find less stress, more balance, more peace, less pain...I needed to do SOMETHING different. Continuing on with everything in the exact same place and pattern was going to get me nowhere. (Ever read the definition for the word INSANITY?) I realized that the one thing I could change is my job.

(What's my job, you ask? I am the Senior Consultant at my family's bookkeeping and accounting firm. I do accounting work, business consulting, software training, and most of the firm's marketing. I function as the Accounting Department for my clients. It's a great job, I'm good at it, and I love my clients. It's just time for me to move on.)

So, very quickly, I let my stepfather/boss (or boss/stepfather, depending on the task at hand! Kudos to him for playing both roles so well) know that I needed to leave. We put a plan into motion for my last day to be Friday, February 26th.

Where am I going? Nowhere, yet. I have been, bit by bit, communicating with my contacts in the business community and trying to decide what I want to do, which direction I'm headed, what should my next step be? I'm thinking of preparing for the CPA exam, or taking the GMATs so I can start work on my MBA. I know that I want to be working with driven, dynamic people. I want to feel like I'm bettering my community. I need a workplace full of integrity. I'm looking at every opportunity and deciding if it has potential to be the next, best place for me. I can see myself as the Executive Director for a non-profit...someday! Getting from here to there...is a process I have yet to define.

The right job will support me in my priorities to:
1) Kiss my kid
2) Pay my bills
3) Feel fulfilled

I don't think it's asking too much. Do you?

Fun!

We finally made it to Peek-a-boo today. WOW - what a great place! There are several "dramatic play" rooms with themes like bugs & butterflies, baby dolls, musical instruments, and so on. Lots of doll houses. Indoor jungle gyms. Cozy book corners. A painting wall, a jumpy-jump, a kitchen...I mean, this is like the Children's Museum done right. They even have a "dining room," where families can eat whatever snacks they bring. I HIGHLY recommend this place for kids up through pre-k. Here's a link to their site for hours, calendar, etc.

http://www.peekaboocenter.com/index.php

Oh My God

Vi said, "Oh my God," last night.

Dan and I - eyes wide in disbelief - both replied, "Please say "Oh my goodness, Vi. We don't say "Oh my God in our family," almost in unison.

(Note to file: Dan and I said the same thing at the same time. Not a common occurence.)

She continued, "Oh my god, ohmygod, ohmygod!"

We continued, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!"

On she went: "Oh my god, ohmygod, ohmygod!"

And us, again: "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness!"

Then she said, "Oh my godnald, had a farm, E-I-E-I-OOOOOOOO!"

I just about wet my pants I was laughing so hard. She was just gearing up for Old MacDonald, and, well...wasn't enunciating as well as one might hope.

At least she's enjoying music, and not cursing like a pirate!

Why? What's THAT?

Vi has officially entered the very, very curious stage. She asks "Why?" about nearly everything.

Dan: Vi, please leave Riley's food where it is.
Vi: Why?
Dan: Because it's a big bin and it could spill and make a big mess.
Vi: Why?
Dan: I don't know why. That's just how it is. Did you hear my message?

And so on... We tried to go to a new indoor kids' gym today, Peek-a-boo. The whole way there, she was full of questions:
Vi: Where's the New Gym?
Me: It's i Westbrook.
Vi: Ooo-ooo-ooh!
(Moments pass)
Vi: Where's the New Gym?
Me (pointing): It's that way.
Vi: Why?
Me: Because that's where they decided to build it.
Vi: Why?
Me: I'm not sure.
Vi: Where's Adam & Dylan and Sass-a-lee?

And so on...

As I type this, she is having bedtime storytime with Dan. They are reading "Goodnight, Maine," which, all of you parents of toddlers know is NOT a very exciting book. Here's what I'm hearing:
Vi: What's that?
Dan: That is a mountain.
Vi: What's that?
Dan: That's another mountain.
Vi: What's that?
Dan: That's the moon.
Vi: What's that?
Dan: That's a tree.

I hope it's obvious to you that she KNOWS what these things are. It's just her way of stretching out story time and getting Dan wrapped more and more around her little finger. He answers so patiently and so sweetly - I love it. He is really good at bedtime, actually. I hear him keep himself calm, and use every tool in his possession to get her to sleep. She was pitching a major fit the other night, and I was so impressed with how he handled it! He said, "I hear you saying you're all done. It's bedtime, though, and I need you to get back in your bed." It's just really amazing to listen to the two of them talk.

One of Vi's current reading favorites is One Morning In Maine. She recites the first page by herself! "One morning in Maine, Sal woke up. She peeked over the covers, and excitedlymumblingunintelligiblewordstotakeupspaceuntilshecansay Going to Buck's Harbor!!!"

(Pause.)

"Where's Buck's Harbor?"

Chuck E Cheese

We went to Chuck E Cheese for the first time - it was pretty fun! The photo booths were, well, photo booths! It was a nice, blizzardy evening to do something active - indoors.

33!

It's my birthday! I'm 33! Hurray!

Happy Birthday, everyone! I hope it's a great day for all of you!

Preschool!

Vi starts pre-school next week! She is so excited, she keeps telling everyone. The classrooms all have animal names - right now, she's an Inchworm, and her preschool classroom is the Hoppy Frogs. She says, "I be a hoppy frog!!!" When she visited the classroom a couple of weeks ago, she walked in, threw her hands in the air and said, "I'm a hoppy frog!" (Her inchworm teacher almost cried. Oh, the tongue-in-cheek glare we got from her today when we told her Vi officially starts next week!)

I had a tour of the new classroom this morning, and saw their "Circle Time." The teachers are so great - they really work letters and counting into everything. They have mastered the art of combining play and learning - perfect for this age group. When wrapping up the tour with the director, I got weepy telling her how pleased we are with her teachers and facility. We talked about how happy and loving her employees are, how dedicated they are, and how Dan and I both feel so blessed to have a child care situation that is so closely aligned with our own values. She then got weepy, too, and said how sad she feels that not all children have this sort of a child care situation. And, how the world would be a better place if that weren't the case, and we paid more attention, gave more love, and showed our "little ones" how to be respectful, kind and loving.

*Sigh.*

I love our daycare.

Boxing Day Famiy Yoga Class at Portland Yoga Studio

More Christmas 2009

This Christmas, the grown-ups exchanged helpful gifts. We each submitted a list of things we wanted to learn, ways we wanted to grow, etc. The kids all had plenty under the tree from Santa, Aunties, Uncs and Grandparents.

Vi was most excited to see her cousins. She and Baby Addie were full of hugs.

This is Vi, "especially psyched out of her mind" about a gift from T-bone and Lulu.

Dan asked for ideas of books he might like and recipes for corned beef hash. He got books stolen from Sneaky Fox's mom and recipes using canned corned beef hash. And lots of snuggles from Katara. All in all, he was happy.

Mumsy found Auntie Boo's old wiggly Santa headband and gave it to Vi.

I asked for help coming up with a strength-training routine. Mark gave me some print-outs of quick yoga practices I can sneak into my work day (don't tell my boss!) and signed me up for some stress-reduction workshops at our town rec center! This is me, on the verge of happy tears.

Oh, the end of the long day. Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2009

Sledding, making cookies for Santa, family time? A great Christmas.