A Traditional Oregon Christmas


To balance the crazy, unorthodoxy of Thanksgiving, we observed a mostly traditional Christmas in 2013. We never seem to repeat the same traditions, so this season wasn't without its quirks: we failed to bring home a Christmas tree (not unprecedented), we put up very few decorations (inside and out), and the Tri-Cities failed to hire me and Penrose to shoot the Cable Bridge Run, thus my sense of the season was skewed somewhat.
We stayed home for Christmas morning (as anyone with young kids should) and slept in until about 7:30 when we heard footsteps pounding the upstairs bedrooms. The kids still enjoy opening presents of all types, even if the gift is simply pajamas. After ingesting bacon and sausage and eggs and leftover Christmas treats for breakfast, the kids had a couple of hours to play with their new stuff before we loaded the car for a short drive to Dallas, where the the in-Oregon Boorens--including Nichole (on leave from Virginia) and her foster son and fiance--gathered for more gift-opening and the gorging of traditional Christmas fare and the building of gingerbread houses. Even though I hate the thrill rides at amusement parks because I literally can't stomach to finish the rides, I have no problems reading or playing video games in the car; however, Meg and kids are the exact opposite: they'll go on thrill rides until the cows come home, but don't ever give them something to do in the car. Aaron and Edward both received Nintendo 2DS game machines from Santa, and they played them hard-core on the drive down, which didn't seem to affect Aaron so much, but Edward had to turn his off just before we arrived in Dallas; unfortunately, he still proceeded to regurgitate his breakfast in the van not five minutes before we arrived (also, not unprecedented, but I tend to forget the bad memories of my life)--nothing like driving in a convertible in the middle of winter for those few minutes. Edward was fine the rest of the day, however, and the kids always have fun playing with their cousins.

We played host to my sister-in-law, Elaina, and her three kids a couple days after Christmas, as they were on their way to their new home in Port Orchard, Washington, and Meg's sister Nichole (and the two new boys in her life) stayed with us for a couple of days. The End.

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