Memories of Christmas in the bag

The holidays are almost a blur, but I have a few lingering memories — some good, some bad.

Here are my highlights of Christmas 2016, most of which don’t include actual gifts.

• My little nephews were the most fun, as I expected. My now 6-year-old nephew, Seb, was the life of the room. (By the way, I was embarrassed to realize that I had his age wrong in a previous column. I am writing this on his birthday, Jan. 4. He’s having a birthday party today to get — more presents!)

He was so excited when he opened just about everything (except those train pajamas I got him, but when his parents chastised him for throwing them aside, he quickly threw some enthusiasm my way, too.)

When he opened the 778-piece Brictek Navy helicopter carrier my husband and I got him, he was thrilled.

“This is a dream come true!” he said.

He loved all his toys, including the remote-control car my mother got him.

“Grandmomma, you really hit the jackpot with this!” he said.

When my daughter-in-law asked what was his favorite gift, he wisely and quickly said, “The Legos you got me.”

Little Barrett’s eyes lit up when he opened several of his gifts, too, but he really liked whatever his older brother got.

• I was a walking, driving disaster. My mom and dad have a new house, and it has a steep driveway. I thought I had mastered backing down it, especially since I have a backup camera in my vehicle, but I got slightly off. When I came back from an errand, I noticed a deep rut in the yard. I had no idea I’d done it. My mom briefly blamed herself, but she saw mud on my tires, and I confessed it must have been me.

I spilled a tea glass someone left by the couch, and I left a measuring cup on the counter, and my husband knocked it off. I got blamed for not putting it up, though.

• We had our annual digging through the garbage for a present. I asked my older son if he liked the gift certificate for an oil change that I put in his stocking. He said he didn’t get it. I dug through everyone else’s stockings and made a halfhearted attempt to look in his before my husband went to the garbage can outside. My son found the envelope with the gift certificate down in his stocking a few minutes later. It’s a big stocking.

• This was the Christmas I learned to play dominoes. Kind of. I seemed to have trouble keeping up, but I’m that way with most games. (I still don’t get what a crazy train is.) In addition to dominoes, we played our usual card game, Creights. It’s a family tradition, which goes back decades. My husband taught us how to play when he joined the family. My brother taught his friends in high school, and one of them has even created a website for it.

• My sister-in-law (thanks to an app on her phone) had an interesting photo taken from inside her house — of Santa in their living room. When Seb saw it, he “fainted.”

• My sister-in-law revealed her artistic side and painted three wonderful paintings — one each for me, my mom and my daughter-in-law. My husband surprised me with a painting from a co-worker of his, whose art I had admired.

It was fun, but I’m glad it’s over so I can get back to my routine. And shopping for next Christmas.

Here’s to a creative new year full of surprises and great stories!

Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.

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