Is it possible to listen to too much Guster??

hear it in the stairwell: See above

This is possibly the most untypical Christmas Eve I've ever lived through. First of all, I had to work. In all of my years I've NEVER worked on Christmas Eve. I can't remember a time when ANYONE in my family has ever worked on the Eve. But alas, I got in my jeep, showed my ID at the gate and worked. My last day of work on the Base....ever. I think I'm complaining a little too dramatically because I was off by around 11a.m. and went home, back to bed.
I drove up to Fundalia and there was no traffic. No traffic on the Eve? No one is traveling home? Unusual. And when I drove past Meijer on my way to my sister and Chris's Eve service I noticed that the parking lot was absolutely packed! 6 p.m. on the Eve and people are still shopping frantically! Come on people, is this what the holiday is all about? Go home and be with your families! And to top it off, the parking lot to Las Piramades (a crappy Mexican restaurant in Huber) was FULL! Who eats crappy Mexican on The Eve?? Gah!
Our family's Eve tradition includes the "candle light" Eve service at my parent's church. This year it's not "candle light"...earlier this year the church burnt down. No flames allowed. Although this is my "home" church, the one I "grew up" in, I haven't been there in about a two years. I remembered why as soon as I stepped foot in the building. The entire service was a performance. We sat and watched people sing, sang a few songs to a drum track and even did some "responsive praying" where we read what is put on the screen in front of us. I left the building feeling the emptiness one feels in an expensive church with comfortable religious people. My family, who I love very much, along with a few other people I think so much of attend this church and I'm confused on what to think. It's difficult to see so many amazing people who really are walking closely with God and want to serve attending a church that, I feel, is not preaching, teaching or outreaching with grace. I'm sad that I missed the APEX service.
But I think all of my anti-normal-Eve occurrences are behind me. I'm back home with my family, my grandpa is dressed as Santa for the younger kids, we're all eating mad amounts of dessert food and we're getting ready to open presents. Christmas is so good, isn't it? Tomorrow I will sleep as long as my dog allows, eat more food and visit with family. Merry Christmas!

(My siblings and I with Santa)

(Mawmaw and PawPaw Santa Clause)

(Me, Andrew, half of Amy and a fourth of Chris)

Now this is what Christmas is all about! My baby Kaitlyn so excited about presents! A funny thing we discovered...When she yells for her pet squirrel, Rascal, it sounds very very much like she is yelling "A**hole!" Comedic...she's so cute!