Family Festivities Part One

 We spent the evening at Dad's house with my brother, sister, grandparents and all the nieces and nephews.  Kayla was cheering at Chippewa, but we skipped the game to enjoy the evening with extended family.

 We all enjoyed opening gifts, but there is something neat about watching parent and grandparents opening gifts.  Maybe it's the fact that they always waited and watched us open presents when we were little, but as an adult it is still fun to open presents.  You know to tear into with wild excitement just like when you were a kid.

There is something fun about watching the little ones dance around the supper table anticipating when the last bite will be taken by the adults.  Gleefully racing to the tree and waiting ever so impatiently for their name to be called.  Once the name is called tearing into the gift with a frenzy like a school of piranahas feeding.  Then running the package, the treasure that needs a half hour of unpackaging because of all the twist ties.  I watched my nephew Carter drool over his Star Wars ship being unpackaged and put together so he could take it on its first test flight.  It was a magical and cozy evening at the Steigerwalt's.

My favorite part of all was watching my grandparents, in their upper 80s.  I couldn't help but wonder, how many more they have to go.  They are both looking tired and weathered, but grandpa, as always watched the grandchildren with a twinkle in his eye.  I'm not sure he remembers who everyone is, but he enjoyed himself still the same.  I remember 20 some years ago, grandpa getting down the box of ice skates that they collected in various sizes to fit all the grandkids.  He would take us to the creek behind their house and skate with us up and down for what seemed like hours.  Grandpa was always good about the best gifts...his time.  We'd come lumbering in covered in snow and smiles and he'd have grandma make us hot cocoa.  Merry Christmas family, I love you.