Apocalypse Weekend, part tres: The Anticlimax (yay!)

Well, I have to say that this has been one of the best Christmases I can remember. Yeah. I was surprised too.

We got "Santa's" gifts wrapped and were unconscious by 11:30. We stayed that way until, oh, 3:00 when The Girl realized that her favorite PBS station had been dropped by the cable company. Once we put that fire out, I slept until about 6:30, when...

All I could hear was The Boy cautiously exploring the loot with The Husband. "Hey, Santa used our wrapping paper!" Yup. "Hey, I didn't ask for this! That's wrong!" It's okay, boy. Really. "What's in all these boxes?" Dunno, boy. "Can I wake Mom up?" No, boy, not until it's light out. "Hey, I LOVE this." "When's mom getting up?" Not till it's light out. "Mom? Can you get up?" No, hon. Not 'till it's light out.

It was so sweet, listening to them work out how "Santa" did this or that, how this or that got in the house, what we were going to with the new fire pit. I was just laying low, waiting for the volcano. Which never came!

We got people up and opening stuff. The Wii was a big hit. The Girl didn't care about much, but we have photographic evidence of her opening a few things. My dad came over, and I made him bacon and eggs and coffee. The pecan pie was good, as were the other sweets. The tortiere hasn't killed anyone yet. (We left it out overnight! Shh, don't tell anyone!) And I got a nap.

The strange part is that every muscle in my body hurts, especially anything that connects to my shoulders or neck. If you've ever shepherded an asperger's child through the Season of Anticipation and Surprises, you'll know what I mean. If you haven't, just try to imagine someone with the self-control of a three-year-old and the brain of a 10-year-old trying to cover all the possible outcomes of every moment of a day for which you have waited and planned for three months. No pressure.

Anyway, presents were opened. Everyone was appropriately grateful to the ancestors and occasionally genuinely excited about gifts. Pie was eaten. Candy was snarfed. The chicken and potatoes are in the oven with the apple crisp. And all's well with the world. The Lord has been merciful to us, indeed.