Family Folktales: Socks!

In the second installment of the Family Folktales series, this one takes us back to before you were born...

When your cousin Eleanore was about your age right now (4 or 5-ish), that Christmas we spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Stockings are a big deal in our family -- Grandma has knitted one for EVERY member of the family (and a lot of friends too!). She and I always have lots of fun shopping for stocking stuffers. And every year, we always would buy everyone at least a pair or two of new socks.

Well, that year at Grandma and Grandpa's, I'd been squirrling away gifts and stocking stuffers all year... and so had Grandma. And that must have been the year of the Great Sock Sale. Because Christmas morning went a little something like this:

Family gathered in Grandma's living room... everyone opening stockings...

Uncle Paul: "Oh, look what I got!"

Grandma, Mommy, Eleanore: "Socks!"

Daddy: "And look at what I got..."

Grandma, Mommy, Eleanore: "Socks!!"

Grandpa: "Well now, what do I have in my stocking?"

Grandma, Mommy, Eleanore: "Socks!!!"

As you can imagine, we got sillier and siller every time someone pulled out another pair of socks - until we were screaming and laughing it when Daddy pulled out his 12th pair of socks.

So now, Grandma and I definitely make sure everyone has socks... and we still laugh about it. Silly, I know... but it's just one of the little things we do that makes Christmas special for us.

(If you think this is weird, wait until I tell you about the Silly String Fights we'd have in Aunt Lois's garage every Thanksgiving...)

Best Compliment Ever

My parents came to town last weekend... and I've been meaning to post this ever since. However, it's been a little crazy around here -- Daddy's been out of town going on almost a full 2 weeks, our dryer D I E D and I had to get the new one ordered and delivered, our garage door is thinking about imitating the dryer, and I couldn't get the DVD player to play a CD.

Happy 10 years in the house -- the appliances are starting to turn against you.

Anyway, my parents were in town to have some quality Molly time. Molly conned Grandma into having a jammie day with her on Saturday -- so Grandma wore her jammies all day too! (I was able to get a pass with my comfy clothes - a.k.a. sweats.)

So we're making lunch, and Molly decides to use her "fancy manners" voice (which is a British accent picked up from "Charlie and Lola" - the cutest cartoon EVER). And out of nowhere, as I'm making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, my mom looks at me and says, "You're doing a beautiful job with her."

Wow.

I love you too, Mom.