Christmas Spirit? Oh we've got that...

I've oftened wondered if my family will ever get the "right" Christmas spirit. Then I realized I was expecting too much and to just enjoy the ride with a crazy, loud, Italian family who cooks enough food in one night to feed the entire island of Haiti, and is upset if the small amount of us don't eat most of it.

Though I must say, tonight has surpassed all other nights to this point in one way. I enjoyed it from start to finish. Many years, I sit around and judge about how this is just not the holy way to ring in Christmas. I would then leave early and run to Church for "midnight" Mass to get into the holy and away from the crazy.

This year, I went to Mass with my grandfather, endured strange music that was off quite a bit (children's choir: claps during the Gloria, a fast upbeat song sang along to a cd playing for the start of Communion, just bizarro), but overall it was great because I didn't go alone and neither did my grandfather.

I spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards with my grandmother, then with my mom and grandmother right up until people arrived for dinner. (We hadn't even stopped early enough to have the table set before they came in)

I laughed almost all night, with my family, because we are loud and crazy Italians who cook and eat too much in one night! I finally was able to just be in my family and enjoy it. Here is the most memorable event of the evening for your laughing pleasure:

We had water boiling in a tea kettle to put into the Italian Coffee maker. It began to whistle so we yelled for my grandfather who was in charge of this...my uncle proceded to yell to him, "Dad, your water broke..." to which my grandfather played along holding his stomach and bending over as if he was in pain (labor pains that is). Then while making the coffee, my uncle asked him, "So how are the contractions?" and my grandfather's response was the funniest, "A couple minutes apart, I've got time".

The think that struck me most as funny was the legitimate claims and absolute ridiculousness of their joking around. I also appreciated the part of the night where a room full of adults (me being the youngest) were falling over laughing watching one of those animals where you press the button and it sings...this one also shakes and kept falling over...which is hysterical...apparently...oh what a sight! Praise the Lord for crazy families! I hope you all have one!