Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

(Come on, you knew I was going to whip out that saying at some point. It's practically an obligation this time of year for all of us lucky souls bestowed with this name.)

The long weekend went by WAY too quickly! On Friday, the roommates and I went and saw Sweeney Todd, which was really good! And not just because Johnny Depp was lookin' fine, in that "I'm going to slit your throat now but look oh so attractive and pale at the same time" way. The man can sing! Who knew?! Anyway, I would definitely recommend it. I hate gory movies and tend to avoid them at all costs, and yes this is a gory movie, but you know exactly when you need to cover your eyes. It's worth it. My sister and I managed to finish all of our Christmas shopping on Saturday, which was good since the mall was an absolute zoo. (And a sidenote to the lady who rang us up at Smith and Hawkins, you did NOT need to be that rude. I understand you were probably stressed out to the max and ready to stab someone, but we were nothing but nice to you.) That night one of my friends threw a little party and since it was so unseasonably warm outside, we built a small bonfire in the backyard and roasted marshmellows over the open flames. No chestnuts though...those things are seriously overrated. It was a lot of fun to stand there outside in the crisp air next to the fire, catching up with the out-of-towners and sipping on boxed wine (I think any event that involves boxed wine and marshmellows is automatically a good time). And thank goodness for Febreeze, because holy cow, when I got home I realized that I smelled absolutely TERRIBLE. Wind, fire, and smoke are not kind to clothes or hair. Yuck!! I am very glad, however, that I didn't follow my drunken instinct to get in the shower still wearing my clothes and coat in order to rid myself of the smokey aroma. Wool coat + lots of water = bad idea.

On Sunday, I was pretty much a lazy slob, though I did wrap presents and do a little laundry. Then I drove to my parent's house to mooch some free food (mmmm chili!). After dinner, my mom decided we were going to watch Casino Royale and I realized that when it comes to celebrity crushes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

The Christmas festivities began in earnest on Monday. I finally FINALLY started to get into the holiday spirit as the whole family piled into the car to go see National Treasure: Book of Secrets (a decent adventure film, quite entertaining). Then we went to my aunt and uncle's for Christmas Eve dinner. Other than the heated debate about the writer's strike that occurred between Dad and my cousin, everything went really well. My grandfather's pants were hiked up ridiculously far, my uncle made lethally strong cosmos for everyone, my grandmother snidely remarked that I certainly wasn't growing any taller, and the dog nearly ate all the food. Yes, all was right with the world. We went to the 11 o'clock service at church later that night, where I almost fell asleep due to the heat, the music, and all the delicious food. Only the sniffling of the guy sitting next to me kept me awake. That and the fear that Jesus would strike me down with fire and brimstone if I was caught snoozing during the retelling of his birth.

Christmas morning went as all Christmas mornings go in my house. My sister was the first one awake, my parents put on some coffee and made coffee cake, and I was the last one down to the kitchen. Then we all opened presents and oooohed and aaaaahed over what everyone had given and received. Later in the afternoon, we went over to my grandparent's house to open a few more gifts, take a billion family pictures, and eat a delicious turkey dinner. It was there that I received The Worst Christmas Present (I hadn't won in a few years, so it was about time):Um, Grandma, thanks? Wow. A Vera Bradley t-shirt. You really shouldn't have.

Overall, Christmas was a great success. It's not often anymore that my whole family can spend a lot of time together, so hanging out with everyone for two straight days was amazing. Now, though, it's back to the office, which is ridiculous since only a few other people are here this week (my boss, of course, being one of them). There is nothing to do to pass the time, other than eat chocolate (MUST! STOP!), gchat, read blogs (which I am definitely not complaining about!), pick out my favorite engagement rings from Tiffany's, and play sudoku. Suggestions on anything else I can do to pass the time?