Christmas Surprises

Every year I go to my paternal grandparents' house, either on Christmas Eve or Christmas day(depends on the rest of the family).  I enjoy seeing them and the talks we have.  They just keep getting stranger and stranger.  This year's choice?  Conspiracy theories.  You know, Area 51 and all that.  My father, an ex-Air Force man, brought some info to it all.  Made my youngest aunt go 'hm' but everything was in jest.  My aunt is a nutty bird, lol.

The one thing I always notice at my grandparents' house are these teddy bears.  There are about 9 of them, all made from old fur coats and the like.  The cool thing is, is the fact that these were owned by my great-grandmother and great aunt.  Ever since I was younger I remember eying those bears but we couldn't play with them and I believe I always understood why.  They were so pretty.  This year, though, Grendal and I walk into my grandparents' house and the first thing I usually see are all 9 bears sitting at the fireplace.  This time they weren't.  It didn't strike me as odd and the night went as it usually does.

When it came to opening gifts the one from my grandmother seemed overly stuffed.  Last year we all got scarfs so I was thinking it was more winter wear.  I pulled out the tissue paper and what do I see?  One of the teddy bears.  I pull it out with wide eyes and glanced at everyone else.  All the women in the family had a teddy bear.  Apparently my grandmother's will stated that the bears would go to all of us but rather than wait until she passed away she decided to give them out now so she could see the reaction.  Mine had a sweet little bear face, a nifty lace collar, and it was an interesting brown and deep amber colored mink fur.  What made it even better was the fact that everyone else was eying my bear.  I hadn't realized that the others wanted it so much, and I think I made my grandmother happy because I kept it my lap, practically cuddling it(I have a soft spot for stuffed animals).  That was the best thing in the world that night.

Christmas day was good too.  While I got a few of the things I had requested from my mother, I was disappointed to find that none of the pagan items I wanted(one was the number one item on the list) were bought.  I don't know why but I've decided not to dissect the situation and get upset. the upside was the fact that my father gave me a gift credit card with 150$ on it because he didn't really know what to get me.  Later that night I did purchase the book I wanted and it will be here within a week!!

We came back to Grendal's for his family's get together, which was mainly watching his nieces open gifts.  He and I got a gift card to a local Japanese restaurant that we LOVE from his older brother and then gift cards to a local mom and pop diner from both his parents.  The two awesome gifts from that gathering?  Grendal made a wooden bust of my baby red dragon, Merrick(a Dungeons and Dragons NPC I made that the group loved and will always be my baby).  I get to paint it too, which is awesome.  The other thing?  Grendal's mother made me a cloak!  I've been wanting one for over 10 years.  Not one you'd buy, something homemade because it would be made specifically for me.  I've bought countless patterns and begged my mother to make it or help me make it but it never happened.  I mentioned this, in passing, to Grendal's mother during the summer and she remembered.  All that needs to be done is the bottom hem(she didn't know if the length was good) and I'm good to go.  She says it should be warm enough for me to wear outside in this cold, Northern Illinois winter which makes it awesome.  If it was finished now, I'd be running around outside, lol.

Awesome quote about the cloak comes from Grendal's brother.  "What is that?  Some druid cloak?"  I don't know if he knows I'm pagan but it just tickled me pink.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Yule and, for those who visited family for Christmas, hope you had a nice Christmas as well.  : )  Stay warm.