Christmas Gratitudes

• That two of my children are still complete believers in Santa and that the older two are still believers in the spirit of Santa (with me as their mom, what choice did they have?)
• That we had the means to provide our kids with a good Christmas
• That I am still able to be with most of my family on Christmas Day (and along those lines that my cousin Katie made it here safely from Australia, we miss her so much when she isn't here!)
• That Aunt M still remembers me consistently (She thinks Dave is "that nice man down the street who fixes things for me" and is now a little iffy on my younger kids now-though she remembered Tristan as soon as she saw him yesterday.)
• That Aunt M is still in good health and happy to still be with us at the age of 98 and has such good caregivers (my parents included)
• That my teenaged nieces on both sides of the family are turning into such intelligent, funny, and beautiful young women
• That we got to spend time with the nieces and nephew on Dave's side of the family as well as mine this Christmas-we don't see them often enough
• That even amid all the craziness, conflict, and dysfunction that lives in my family; love is still our bottom line.