Santa has come and gone, the kids made out like banshees, and I've begun my post-Christmas re-org. Out with the old junk and in with the new junk. Isn't there some island or something where I can drop off all of these misfit toys?
The official Christmas season around our house began, as it always does, the day after Thanksgiving. Known to some as Black Friday, we appropriately call it "Brock's Christmas." If you've ever been around us on this day, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. He buys himself so much stuff on this one day that I can't ever justify buying him anything to open on Christmas morning. Everyone in my family looks forward to gathering around when Brock gets home to watch the delight on his boyish face as he unloads bag after bag of booty. It's all always stuff for him, but we enjoy a vicarious shopper's high. This year we were let down when Brock opted not to do his 4 am spree when he just didn't see enough temptation from the ads in the evening paper. Instead, he and the boys went shooting.
Later that day, we headed back to our house from Preston and Brock decided he'd run in to Al's Sporting Goods to see if there was anything left from the big sale. The three hungry kids and I stayed in the car while he just "ran" in. Fifty-four minutes later...Out walks Brock with a shopping cart overflowing and a satisfied grin. He piles everything in the back and then climbs in the front and looks at me like Karlee looks at me when she's being naughty but also knows she's being cute. Before I can even say anything my eye catches something shiny, I follow it, and to my bewilderment, I find he is wearing an earring in his left ear. We stared blankly at each others faces for a good 10 seconds before I could open my mouth to ask what the heck he was doing. He proceeds to explain that everything was a screamin' deal, and I'm going no, no, why are you wearing an earring?
After feeling his ear, a light clicking on in his eyes, and then some good belly laughing, he explained what happened. I guess when they came home from shooting, my dad found a little link to a key ring chain or something and asked if it was his. Brock told him thanks and put it in his ear to be funny. He just didn't know how funny he was going to be when he forgot it was there. It really put me in the holiday mood.
In fact, Brock has kept me smiling all month long. It's been little things like him wearing his Eagles Santa hat around the house and big things like the 14 foot snowman he built in our yard on Christmas day. His public performance of Mr. Grinch on the Polar Express and staying up with him til 2 playing karaoke revolution on the XBOX. For some reason this holiday season I've enjoyed a heightened awareness of what a fun guy I'm married to and it's been one of the best gifts I've ever received.
Love this guy...
