Merry Christmas

Crazy Lady Christmas Village

I think that my Crazy Lady Village has been thoroughly documented here, but now I have a macro lens so I can photograph the INSIDES OF THE TINY HOUSES!

Halls Decked

Cookie Monsters

Dash had his boy William over for a sleepover the other night. They watched A Christmas Story & The Sandlot and made sugar cookies. And by sugar cookies, I mean cookies buried in snow drift-sized piles of sanding sugar.

If you look closely you can almost see the cookie under there. 

A Tree

Is there anything better than the annual tradition of heading to our local tree farm, watching Josh & Dash pick out & cut down a tree, then sitting in the warm car while Josh straps it to the roof, then having lunch with Dash in front of the fire while Josh wrestles with sawing off bottom branches and getting it to sit straight on the stand, then, after he carries it into the house and does all the boring light-detangling and tree-illuminating, I get to decorate it? I say no.

World's greatest tree topper.

World's greatest tree topper putter on-er.

Twinkle

This Sunday we bundled up and completed our 7th Annual Engel Family Survey of the Christmas Crazy.

We start out slow and subtle. Just a sweet little snowflake spinning gently from a strand of lights.

Then things escalate quickly.

Nearly each house in the neighborhood had a stanza from "A Visit from St. Nicholas", which is way, way longer than I thought. 

You think you like hockey? Have you transformed your front lawn into a Christmas-themed hockey rink?

Do you have illuminated hockey sticks on the roof of your house? Yeah, I didn't think so.

You think you like the Lakers? See above.

Dash noted that this animatronic bear was drumming "suspiciously slowly."

You think you like Star Wars? OK, I'll stop.

This kind Santa kept exclaiming that he had lost the Naughty List, which heartened Dash quite a bit.

However this Santa will dunk on your ass.

OK, I think we've established that I fucking love Christmas. I mean, I really, really love Christmas. I start thinking about Christmas in August. And by "thinking about Christmas," I mean actively making lists, designing our cards & planning the invitations and menus for our many annual end-of-year gatherings. There are spreadsheets (multiple) involved. I mean, I don't honestly think I've ever met anyone in person who loves Christmas as much as me. But then this guy built a full-size, working carousel on his front lawn.

Also (same house, same lawn) this gingerbread house that is bigger than my first apartment. So. You know, touche, dude.

We were trying to figure out if this was a mistake or a prank? Either way, "Ho Oh Ho" to you, too, good people.

Sure, Ronald Reagan on a tractor. Why not?

Sure, a pair of Mr. & Mrs. Claus Pez dispensers (with moving heads, naturally). Also why not?

Dash approves.

All right Wakefield residents, you crazy beautiful bastards, we'll see you next year. Merry Christmas.