Christmas in Minnesota

I am currently breaking one of my cardinal rules: No Christmas music until December 1st.  However, I need to get back into the spirit of last Christmas to write this post, so I'm dealing with it.  (It's more "holiday" than "Christmas" music - no Mariah Carey or anything...)  ;)

***Christmas 2012 - Minnesota***

I had Christmas off last year, so Yeti, Devin and I flew to Minnesota for the holiday.  The last time we'd been in Minnesota for Christmas was in 2009!  As always with trips home, we were busy.  But it was a wonderful busy, filled with delicious food, colorful lights, and our most favorite people.  We celebrated with each of our five families - Weitz, Christiansen, McIntyre, Lenox, and Wagner.  I have to admit that I did not take as many pictures as I would have liked, but for memories' sake, here are some...  

Christmas Eve is usually split between the Lenox and McIntyre sides of the family.  We spent the afternoon at Kelli and Christian's house in Minneapolis, eating, drinking, opening gifts, and talking about how awesome fantasy books are.  (Ok, maybe Christian and I are the only ones who talk about books.)  Below is the only decent picture I took at their house - I don't know what I was doing, but getting pictures was not on my radar at the time.  This is Nickolas, Devin's cousin Angie's little boy.  He didn't love the camera... but he did a wonderful job of picking up wrapping paper.

Christmas Eve...ahhh...evening?, we drove up to St. Cloud to celebrate with the McIntyre family, which is always at my grandma's house.  Everyone was there and before our Minneapolis cousins had to head home we captured the whole group.  

As it turns out, the more wine I drink, the more pictures I take!  ;)  As a result, I have quite a few fun pictures from later that night...

Prom 2012? 

Christmas day has traditionally been split between the Weitz and Christiansen sides.  We started with the Weitz clan at Mom and Dad's house in the afternoon - I have zero pictures to prove this - and then drove to Minneapolis to celebrate with the Christiansens.  Everyone was in attendance, and we were able to get a family picture taken there as well.  Said picture was not shot with my camera so I improvised.  (I'll have to track down that picture at some point.)

*I just found this picture in a random folder and had to add it to this post. (12/1713)

One of the best gifts Devin and I received last year was the game Cards Against Humanity from Kelli and Christian.  It's hilariously awful and should only be played with people you are comfortable with offending.  ;)  Honestly, I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard.  One night, as a bunch of the Weitzes sat around Mom and Dad's kitchen table playing the game, Patty, Beth, Matt, Bubba, Laura, and Adam came over to join and also inform us that Matt had just asked Beth to marry him!!  Our celebratory champagne only added to the ridiculousness of the game...

There was a little down time.  A picture of Jill, soaking up the sun, which refuses to shine during Juneau winters.

And one afternoon, after looking everywhere for Dad, I found him in his closet.

We joined the Wager family in Minneapolis a few days after Christmas to celebrate grandma Ruth's 90th birthday by way of a surprise party.  Ruth believed she was just going out for dinner with her eldest daughter, Jill, but instead happened upon a room of family and friends.  It was a lovely party and so much fun, as always, to hang out with this side of the family.

Trouble. 

And then the holiday was over and I needed to get back home to work New Years.  We had such a wonderful time with our families and friends and I'm going to miss that very much this year.  So much that I'm suddenly having second thoughts about staying in California for the holidays...

...maybe not.  ;)  How about everyone come out here instead?