Of Christmas Insanity, Stovetop Thanksgiving, Weird Children, Root Canals, Mrs. Doubtfire-Style Shenanigans, and A Small Boy with No Scruples

It's been a few weeks since I've posted, but I'm dead serious when I say I haven't had so much as a minute to spare because it has been BIZ-ZAY around here. Remember back in the day when the Christmas season was a time of peace and simplicity, a time to sit back and reflect on one's blessings throughout the year? Well, those days have gone down the potty, my friend. The holiday season is now a time of pure insanity. Ah, to have the straightforward "Dick and Jane"-ish 1950s back. (The other day I told my project manager that I feel I could have done very well back then.) Dang hippies, screwing everything up.

Alyssa and I had Thanksgiving in the home of Shawn's sister. Good food, good times (though I did miss my mother's excellent stuffing--Stovetop tends to bring out such feelings in a fellow). Alyssa and I contributed some ever so loverly homemade ice cream. Then we played a game where we each had to write the names of five different people on slips of paper, then we divided up into teams and had to first get out teammates to guess the names by describing them in three words, then, in the next round, one word, and finally, in the last round, by acting them out. All of mine were of course really obscure ones like "Hans Christian Andersen" so it was hilarious watching people try to act them out.

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we decorated our apartment for Christmas. At first we weren't going to have a tree, so we just decorated our hat stand and tiered fruit basket with Christmas lights. (See the above photo.) Later we found a medium-size tree that fit our place a little better. Go us.

Last weekend was the height of the insanity and involved going to Johnny Carino's and the Festival of Trees on Friday, two different ward Christmas parties (one of which Alyssa and I had to play music for) and freaking ICE SKATING on Saturday (my keeshter is still sore, a week later), and attending the First Presidency Christmas Devotional on Sunday, followed by the season finale of The Amazing Race, which Becca had thoughtfully recorded. If that weren't enough, our Sunbeam class featured three all-new malarkey-causers, one of whom I think may have been insane. (He kept trying to feel my tie. It was really weird.) Oh, and on Thursday I underwent Part 1 of my two-part root canal operation. It was pretty tortuous. Apparently I "don't numb very well." "Ouch" doesn't even cut it.

So hopefully everything cools down here. Not today, though, because Alyssa and I have two Christmas parties going on at the SAME TIME tonight, meaning we're probably going to have some wacky Mrs. Doubtfire-style shenanigans ensuing. Also not this week, seeing how I'm slated to attend three different work-related parties. Chihuahua! Goodbye, Christmas spirit. At least until I get my traditional scruples! Mmm. (For those who don't know, "scruples" are petit-fours in Greenese. My great-grandma used to always tell me I was a small boy with no scruples and then she would give me petit-fours. That was in the early 80s, but the name has stuck to this day.)