The Post Christmas Post

With one Christmas tucked neatly under her belt, Wee Zoe packed up the car and pointed it north to begin the rest of the most festive holiday...  Up to Lakewood for Christmas Part Deux: Still Not Christmas Yet!

"No, no Mama, the stripes on the Santa go diagonal!" 

First, to work!  Cara and Zoe diligently took their turn manufacturing confectionary delight for everyone to consume.  Cookies for everyone!  Thanks to Grandma's advanced baking techniques, there were delicious treats aplenty for everyone at the Lakewood homestead.  The perfect way to cap off pretend-Christmas Eve numero dos.

Ready... Set... Catastrophe!

Then the big morning!  It was a mad dash of present opening bliss, where it sure seemed that the kids outnumbered the adults by a far margin - even though science might suggest otherwise.  We took it in a couple stages, so that the kiddos could bask in the newness of their acquisitions before searching for more, more, and more.

On Donner, On Gracie, On Gavin, On Emma...

The big hit of the day was a brilliant old sled for the Zoster.  It had been well broken in by the likes of her cousins, so Zoe was eager to give it a go.  Old man winter hadn't exactly cooperated in the snowfall department, so the next generation put on their thinking caps and realized that carpets share several of the finer qualities of snow...  And off to the races they went!  It was a splendid demonstration of sharing and taking turns, with each child basking in the brilliance of a free tow around the house, balanced by the burden of being a tow-mule for the next three laps.

Mama!  The holiday is doing it again!!!

OH MY GOD IT'S CHRISTMAS AGAIN!!! That's right folks, on actual Christmas Eve, which was pretend Christmas in Lakewood, the family wagon was hitched up yet again to push even further north and east.  This time to the 'Cuse for another Christmas with another fam.

Zoe brought her new tea service along, and it was the surprise hit of the season.  Kids big and small were wrestling over the little pastel plastic pleasantries, and even poor Rocco was coerced into a few cups of delicious imaginary tea.  (The grown-ups enjoyed imaginary hot-toddies...)  Good thing the drinks were hot, because baby it was cold outside!

Something tells me we're not in La La Land anymore...

And the snow!  Okay, it only counted as snow-dust by Syracuse standards, but it covered the ground and cars and everything, and it required a pair of JPCs to take care of it!  James the Third was a particularly good shoveler; his knack for efficient snow removal coupled nicely with his fervor for the task.  The driveway was nice and clear by the time the OG JPC rolled in...

Hangin' with my homeboys. And remote-control fireplace.

Proud of his role as the big shoveller in the house, James saddled right up to Zoe Mae for the obligatory cousin-shot-by-the-fire.  Millsy, on the other hand, is more of a keepin'-it-warm-by-the-fire kinda guy, and he befriended a strangely compelling squishy-stretchy pillow that was a ghost of Costello Christmas's past.  Not a bad decision when faced with a northcountry winter outside.

Did someone say "Northcountry" ???