'...i can see me now on CHRIStmas mornin' crEEping down the stairs..."

i lOVE this Christmas song!, the one about wanting a hippopotamus for christmas. Mr. Merritt was a cherished public school principal I had for the first half of my 10 years at Vineland. and EvEry year, he'd play this song over the intercom while we were dismissed half a day early to Christmas break - the halls would be packed full of the anticipation of the holidays as well as with hundreds of students making their way to their respective bus lines. It's sUCh a fun song, and I was ALways so excited to be leaving school for CHRISTmas bREAk...ahhh...just good memories. I hope I never forgEt stuff like that.

I always considered myself deprived as a child, because we never lived in a two-story house and ALL good christmas movies/songs depict children waking up on Christmas morn' and going DOWNstairs to reveal santa's work. THIS year was the fIRSt time this became true for ME! and I DEFinetly took the opportunity to sing this song as I made my way down the stairs Christmas morn! Our 'house mom', Jenn, had hung stockings full of Christmas surpRISes for us! Tiffany and I are opening them here.

aaand. This is ME, digging through the package that my dearest mother sent me (thank you SO SO much to everyone who sent me a card (and to those that thOUGht about it ;))).

MAkin' EGGnog! ...

after brUNCh we took a christmas morning walk around our neighbourhood, and took a few pictures of this crAzy boat...click it this text to see how they made sUCh a thing...DEFinetly the most impressive boat/nativity scene I"VE ever seen!

chEErsss. to EGGnog. to mAking things from scrAtch. and to chRIStmas in the phils.

Here's (almost) EvEryone, sitting down for our Christmas brunch. I know sOMe of you will appreciate the platter fUll of bAcon in the forefront of the shot :P