The gift of giving and recieving

This Christmas was great! I can't say I have had that much fun with my family, good company and friends in a long time.

Christmas eve we went to my cousin Pam's house like we do every year. We eat delicious food until we can't walk. Then we lie around and sleep (AKA: a fat attack, when you eat so much so fast you just want to lie on the floor in pain until it digests) then we get up and eat some more. Oh we also play "chinese christmas" This is great game.
See everyone brings a $10 gift. You wrap it and address it to:? from:? then the fun begins. Everyones name is put unto a hat. The first person can pick any gift in the game and unwrap it. They then pick the second persons name. The second person can either steal the first persons item they unwrapped or pick from the pile and so on. We have one rule so the game does not go on all night. An item can only be stolen three times before it stays with that person permanently. Of course we always work the system. My cousin Pam is going to Florida in a month. Shes got a lot of plants. She unwrapped these aqua globe things that automatically water your plants for a few days. Her daughter Melissa stole it so I clued her in that was the gift I had wrapped only instead of two there were six of them in various sizes. She got what she wanted after all.

We also played a game my nephews own for the wii called outdoor challenge. It has a mat and you by yourself or with another person can play these games. Let me tell you it's a riot! My cousin Rob was just about ready to keel over he kept on playing the game so much he was breaking a sweat. When him and my aunt Donna tried to do the cooperative game they ended up just trying to shove each other off the mat or barking orders on how the other one was doing it wrong. To think we brought the game for the kids to play!

Eventually we made our way home only to be woke up at the crack of dawn by my nephews asking when we were going to be over so they could open their presents. My sister explained that two of them had been awake since 5 am. Geeze! I am starting to realize what greif I gave my parents at that age.

We unwrapped gifts and everyone got what they wanted from me this year. My mom got a new sewing machine, my dad got his motorcycle manual and some other stuff for his truck/motorcycle, my sister got some clothes and a hairdryer, her husband got a bluetooth from me and a lunch pail, my nephews got (each separate) a skateboard for one, a bunch of golf stuff for the other and two build a bear certificates. That was just from me. Lucky, spoiled kids.

I got lots of horse stuff and so many books. (sorry the image is blurry and all the stuff is put away)
I love books, especially if they are horse books or braiding/knotting books. I do enjoy a good novel or biography though.

I got two books on poltergeists and haunted houses, a leather braiding book, a braiding leather for fun book, a novel called goose girl from Jo and a fantasy novel of some kind that is new and I haven't heard of it.

The computer chair all that stuff is sitting on was much needed from my sister, her husband and my nephews. Sarah adopted it since I was going to chuck it in the trash. By the way she just started blogging you all should go visit her blog. She is a very kind hearted girl who loves all animals, including her new rescue dog, Val and a very talented young artist who has illustrated a book!

I got a much needed black saddle pad for Indigo for shows when I ride her English, some show sheen to keep her mane de-tangled and her rump less muddy.

I got these boots from my parents. They are muck boots for the X number of stalls I do on a daily basis. Not many people around here wear these but the one barn I work at, the manager also works at the only tack store within an hour from here and she has had a pair forever and swears they are like wearing a pair of bedroom slippers and they are super waterproof and super warm. All of which I needed. I figured I would try on a pair and put them on my tack shop wish list.
Wadda ya know, she was right. I was out from 7 am till 6 pm yesterday trudging through snow in which my toes would have been frozen in my other rubber boots and even though my face and hands were frozen off from watching Faith (Murdo's oldest granddaughter and my shadow) ride bareback around the driveway in 30 kmph winds, I was super warm. Crazy horse loving kids wanting to ride on crazy day's. I guess double riding bareback with me the day before wasn't enough horse time for her.

I got this cool squishy, flower curry comb for Indigo and a daily calendar, some clothes from my sister and my favorite, along with the boots, A NEW LEATHERMAN!! *squee*
As some of you have read I Lost a member of my family this fall. My leatherman original, a dinosaur of leatherman, but I still used it several times a day, fell into a river and was never to be seen again. When I did the post ten things I could not live without in the barn it made number 2, right after my trusty, dusty Blundstone boots.
See, my old original you had to open it to get the knife out. This one it's on the ourside and everything else is on the inside, like the screwdriver, can opener, pliers/wire cutters, scissors etc. Theres two knifes, a saw and a file on the outside. I have to say the knife is sooo sharp I've used it so many times. I must have cut open 20 or 30 bales of hay at least today and I don't even have to press the blade into the twine and it flies off. Time to retire the crappy dull fishing multi tool *coughpieceofjunk* back to the fishing tackle box.
Thank you, thank you thank you (again I know haha) to the person who got me this and the calendar, he knows who he is, who also got my mother a wonderful boquet of flowers and made her weekend.

I also got a ton of chocolates and horsey stuff from all the people I work with and for at various barns. I would say Christmas is a great time of year to recieve and more importantly give. I need to downsize my saddle collection and I think the local theraputic riding facility would love to have it, then I would be down to five saddles. I thought I had five before but I forgot the other kids western saddle I had leant to a friend. Sheesh no wonder I am hard to shop for horsey things for I have five of everything!

What did you all get for Christmas. What did you give?

I hope everyone has a happy new year! I know I will.