The Santa Clauses

Christmas day dawned clear and cold. The snow showers from the day before had ended, leaving us with a powdered sugar dusting of snow. A white Christmas, after all!

The cookies were already made, the gifts were already wrapped, and so we packed ourselves into my car once again for a trip back down along the river to my parents' house.

The house was bustling with activity and stuffed to the gills with people of all ages and sizes, as well as the smell of my mother's awesome chicken dinner cooking.

We were glad to be able to visit two days in a row for the holidays. The weather doesn't always cooperate with our plans, but this year it did, and we felt very fortunate.

The giving of presents occurred after the delicious meal. Such chaos ensued! Rip! Shred! Tear! Wrapping paper and bows and boxes everywhere! There must have been some awfully good boys and girls this year, as Santa Claus was quite generous to all!

In this photo: the crittergators enjoy a visit from the Clauses. As you may note, those two little red-shirts are pretending to blend in . . .

The soundtrack: Bruce Springsteen and the E St. Band, with Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town.