Greetings and good tidings, all!
I hope my American friends had a splendid Thanksgiving and that all my Jewish friends had an amazing first night of Hanukkah.
As usual, my family spent the first part of Thanksgiving watching (and critiquing) the Parade.
After the parade, we headed over to our family friends’ house, where we spend every Thanksgiving and Christmas. The day always starts off with pre-dinner refreshments…
Followed by a bit of holiday shoot ’em up games.
Thanksgiving and Christmas… the only two days of the year I indulge in video games.
Then, once dinner is ready, the kids (i.e. those of us ranging from ages 25 to 16) mosey on down to the kitchen, where those of us over the age of 21 prepare the alcoholic beverages. This year, however, we had a bit of a mishap.
In case you can’t tell what this is, my friend tried to open a bottle of wine… and somehow managed to push the cork INTO the bottle. So far, in fact, that it got stuck.
Seriously, how does this even happen?
The absolute failure in this picture is overwhelming.
Once the cork has been freed and the wine is finally flowing, we head into the dining room to claim our rightful seats…
At the kiddie table.
Yup. 25 years old. Masters degree. Published author. Still at the kiddie table.
I can’t lie. We all secretly love it. Seriously, who wants to sit with the grown-ups?
After we’ve thoroughly stuffed ourselves, it’s time to decorate the Christmas tree, or as the grown-ups say, to earn our desserts. At the Kiser-Smith Thanksgiving Dinner, we have to work for our right to cheesecake.
I think that looks pretty cheesecake-worthy.
Finally, before the night ends, it’s time for the annual years-of-friendship photo shoot.
This includes the traditional Kristen Stewart Face group photo.
Kristen Stewart Face 2011
Kristen Stewart Face 2012
Kristen Stewart Face 2013
And of course, I had to get a picture of the newest edition to the family in front of the Christmas tree…
In case you’re wondering, yes, everyone did make fun of me for this.
Now that Thanksgiving is over, we are in full-fledged Christmas mode. That means non stop Christmas music, decorations, and regular viewings of The Muppets’ Christmas Carol.
On the Cemetery Tours front, I’m still hard at work on the sequel. I am still aiming to have the first draft of the manuscript finished by the end of the year. That’s going to mean some serious focus and dedication on my part, but I think I can do it. Cemetery Tours is still receiving amazing reviews on Amazon and that motivates me more than I can even tell you.
Well everyone, let the Christmas festivities begin!
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