Thirty-two Hours of Christmas: A Recap

Christmas for me is traditionally a two-day holiday: Christmas Eve with my dad's parents, and Christmas Day with my mom's family, with Midnight Mass and Christmas morning present-opening at my parents'. Last year and this year, I've pared this down to the absolute minimum amount of time spent with my family and away from my own home (computer, bed, 100 mile buffer between me and mom). I drive from my place to my grandparent's around noon on the 24th, spend the night at my parents' house, celebrate Christmas Day wherever it's being celebrated, and leave from there for my place. This year the whole thing lasted about 32 hours and really, worked out just about perfect.

( Christmas Eve: Redefining Fashionable Lateness )

( Christmas Midnight with the Fam )

( Christmas Day )

Home by 7:30, which means Christmas lasted only 32 hours, departure to return, and then I finally got to read my much-anticipated yuletide story, The Councils of Despair. Let me just say again: 52k. R-rated. Aral Vorkosigan/Simon Illyan.

And, having actually read it? OMG I WAS SO RIGHT TO BE EXCITED. SO. MUCH. LOVE. It's what Aral was up to, while Cordelia was busy being traded home and therapied, and Aral, drunk, talking about his Captain, while Simon quietly looks after his Admiral, and I just cannot even begin to express how much I love this story and whoever wrote it for me. My God.

And now it's 9:30 and I am curled up on the couch with another 500 Yuletide stories ahead of me, plus ds_seekritsanta and jbbs and OMG SO MUCH FIC EVERYWHERE. And I don't have to go back to work for another eight days, and there are only 28 scenes to go on the hockeyfic. So. A Merry Christ(mahanukwanzakanalia)mas to all, and to all a good night.