Merry Christmas!

Christmas at home was every bit as joyous as we had expected (but also more tiring than we remembered it to be...) Being with family was lovely and everyone loved their presents- I got Jude tickets to watch Feist when she comes to Ann Arbor next month and also the complete Director's Series DVD Collection that includes directors like Michel Gondry, Chris Cunningham, Spike Jonze and Anton Corbijn which Jude has been enjoying for a while; he got me that adorable Threadless t-shirt and a REI vest I've been coveting for the longest time; and Sam- good grief! amongst other things, my dear baby sister received a new pair of Birkenstocks, a Swatch watch, and a Crumpler messenger bag... talk about being loved!

It was also a Christmas of a couple of firsts- 1) my first Catholic midnight mass with Jude's family, 2) our first Christmas with our niece Amelia (who's developing a strange affection for bedding of any sort- pillows, bolsters, blankets...), 3) the first time Johnny Cash has been played as Christmas music at dinner (imagine "A Boy Named Sue" instead of "The Little Drummer Boy"- it's my dad's Christmas present which Jude picked out- Johnny Cash's The Legend box set- to prepare him for the movie that I suspect won't open in Singapore till just before the Oscars); and 4) the first time in a long while that we've had EVERY single member of my extended family at Christmas together. We're talking two grandparents, 11 aunts and uncles, 20 cousins, 5 nephews and one niece. In case the math deluded you- that's 39 people in all (the photos tell it all).

Anways, we're both completely pooped from the festivities, especially the eating. Time for some serious recuperation before we leave in a week. Going back to student life is going to seem like sheer deprivation for a while after indulging so much and also being showered with so much attention and love. We're basking in the warmth of our family and to share it with you, from both of us, here's wishing everyone a truly blessed Christmas!

Enchanted Forest. Peagreen, 2005.