On Christmas Eve I worked until 1 p.m., then went home to wrap only two more presents (I had been up till 3 a.m. Thursday night, and 2:50 a.m. Friday night wrapping). After I tidied my house I got my shopping cart and carefully loaded up five bags full of gifts, then walked to my mom’s place, pushing my “sleigh” before me. Mark came by just after 6. He drove us to church then afterwards came back to my place to get the final three bags I could not carry in my cart, then we went back to my mother’s place, where we had a feast of hors-d’oeuvres.

This would be the first Christmas that my mother, brother Grant, sister-in-law Evelyn, Mark and me would be spending together. Since Evelyn had to work in Guelph on Christmas Day until 2 p.m., mom, Mark and I decided to wait until they came over before we opened any gifts. Thus we didn’t start to unwrap anything until 7 p.m. Christmas evening. When Grant and Evelyn arrived, they placed all of their gifts on the floor, since by then there was no more room for anything under the tree: