The 25th of December. A day that commemorates the births of Youngest Bro, Isaac Newton and a fictitious character or two. A day that begins with a grand opening of presensts followed by a breakfast party at the house of Uncle E__ and Aunty C__. This year, though, the day began with a phone call from young T__ asking us to call his mum, K__, because her car had broken down.

I woke The Librarian and explained the situation to her. She groggily made the phone call. Apparently K__’s car had broken down while she was driving back home from work. The car obviously wanted a Christmas break and expressed its discontent with a billow of smoke before shutting down a few kilometres away from us. The Librarian and I hurriedly got dressed and hurried to rescue K__ up. She looked like she was fed up with the world. Poor K__ hasn’t had much go her way. Hopefully better things are in store for her.

We got back home after dropping K__ off with time to spare before the Christmas brekky. Both kids were up by then so we decided to open presentsall of which were big hits; not surprising really since the kids had prepared comprehensive lists of indispensable items. By the time the Librarian and I headed off to breakfast both Game Guru and Master Builder were busy living up to their names.

The breakfast was a more relaxed affair for me this year. Christmases past saw Game Guru with me while Master Builder stayed at home with the Librarian. This year, however, Game Guru decided that he didn’t want to face the crowd anymore. He was happier staying at home with Master Builder as long as we brought food back with us especially the kiri bath and katta sambol. This is a much better arrangement for all concerned and I was able to enjoy the company much more. I especially enjoyed the entertainment provided by Middle Bro and family, a recital of the Christmas story using chocolate bars as props. The kids were cute and funny which helped me overlook the religious message.

The Librarian and I took the time between breakfast and the family dinner to catch up on some sleep. I almost never have a nap but my body insisted on this occasion. The kids just continued playing with their Christmas bounty.

Dinner was wonderful. There were no curries but the barbecue and salads were great. We were all stuffed by the time gift giving began. Once again Mum had chosen well and all the kids enjoyed their presents. The Master Builder loved the Bionicle he received from his Nana so much that he took it with him when we trooped to the park across the road. He had a good chat with his Nana while the rest of us kicked a ball. Game Guru surprised himself when he found that he actually kicks quite well. It was a fantastic evening and I felt quite sad when it came to an end. The drive home provided some distraction because we wound our way down side streets to see the Christmas displays provided by some households.

The Librarian called her Mum later in the night. I made a few sleepy comments and talked to Master Builder for a while before I found my body insisting on sleep.

Merry Christmas everyone.