And so this is Christmas...

Another holiday come and gone.


As I mentioned in an earlier post, I like to donate to charity as a gift for my in-laws, per their request. I am the only one who actually does this, but whatever. This year, I thought it would be fun to donate to a British charity, since they are both Anglophiles as well, so I gave to Danda, a UK organisation that helps people with various disorders, including Autism.

I know it's silly, but I was hoping for a bigger reaction to my gift to my nephews. If you remember, there was that whole nonsense with my sister-in-law, so I wound up buying for the family with five kids. Getting a 'family gift' is nice, but we're talking five teenaged boys ranging from the ages of 13 to 18, the eldest being in college, so it isn't easy to find something they'd like. I knew they had iPods, so I got a $50 iTunes gift card, figuring they each could get 10 songs. I also got this thingy that plugs your iPod into your stereo, so they could all enjoy songs together. I thought it was cool. I guess they liked it, but I suppose they are all too old and cool to give big reactions to things. Whatever.

Charlie, of course, had a great Christmas, although this year I really had to point out to him several times that gifts aren't the point, and he has to learn not to be greedy. He kept asking 'Are there any more presents for me?'. I think he was just feeling a bit overwhelmed by the excitement of it all.

My sister got him a metal detector and first time out we actually found something. Buried under a couple inches of dirt was a Gameboy game that had been missing for ages. And it still works! Now if we can just find that pirate treasure...

And so this is Christmas...

Another holiday come and gone.


As I mentioned in an earlier post, I like to donate to charity as a gift for my in-laws, per their request. I am the only one who actually does this, but whatever. This year, I thought it would be fun to donate to a British charity, since they are both Anglophiles as well, so I gave to Danda, a UK organisation that helps people with various disorders, including Autism.

I know it's silly, but I was hoping for a bigger reaction to my gift to my nephews. If you remember, there was that whole nonsense with my sister-in-law, so I wound up buying for the family with five kids. Getting a 'family gift' is nice, but we're talking five teenaged boys ranging from the ages of 13 to 18, the eldest being in college, so it isn't easy to find something they'd like. I knew they had iPods, so I got a $50 iTunes gift card, figuring they each could get 10 songs. I also got this thingy that plugs your iPod into your stereo, so they could all enjoy songs together. I thought it was cool. I guess they liked it, but I suppose they are all too old and cool to give big reactions to things. Whatever.

Charlie, of course, had a great Christmas, although this year I really had to point out to him several times that gifts aren't the point, and he has to learn not to be greedy. He kept asking 'Are there any more presents for me?'. I think he was just feeling a bit overwhelmed by the excitement of it all.

My sister got him a metal detector and first time out we actually found something. Buried under a couple inches of dirt was a Gameboy game that had been missing for ages. And it still works! Now if we can just find that pirate treasure...