Feliz Navidad. madre

I channeled my inner mermaid today and used a what do you call it? - thingamajig to eat up all my lobster tail.  But not even the lobster tails or snow crab legs could make the house feel full again.  The mini-quiches almost approximated my sister jenaper, but not quite.  I've been trying to set up a relatively normal Christmas atmosphere around here forcing my dad to turn on the fireplaces and rummaging through my moms room for my new Christmas pajamas but it just hasn't been the same.  But we made the best of it by tearing open our presents with gusto and contemplating opening jenaper's in her absence.  And even though we have an absent mother she still managed to leave her touch on Christmas.  There were the presents with no names that we opened at random and decided who wanted them the most, the bags filled with random goods like cheap knit gloves and socks and the presents that did have names that no one could read anyway.  My mom is known for many a Christmas mix-up.  In fact, it just wouldn't be Christmas without one.  There were the Christmases of old when after all the presents were open she would say, "is that all?  I could have sworn there were more presents.  Didn't you get a walkman?  I know I bought them for you guys, I must have lost them in my closet.  Guess you'll get them next year".  What?!  You can't tell us we got walkmans but have to wait another year because you lost them!!  Not fair!!  Then my favorite incident: the Christmas pajamas.  I opened my new pajamas on Christmas eve, a tradition, and decided I didn't like them one bit.  So she took them back.  The next Christmas eve rolls around and when I open my new Christmas pajamas......BAM!  The same ones as the year before.  Her defense - "Oh, I forgot.  I wondered why I had these....are you sure you don't like them?".  And then the usual mix-up as you are opening a present addressed to you and you look at her with a questioning look, "Oh yeah, that is not for you.  Did it have your name on it?  Sorry!".  One year she gave me this truly awful silver-box purse that she said she found for 25 cents.  She just laughed and laughed.  I laughed and laughed as I hid it in my roommate Jessica's room.  For the next 3 months that purse went back and forth between our rooms being hidden in the oddest of places.  I miss my mom, but I guess we are pulling through here.  And just for her I dutifully had the 24 hrs of a Christmas Story (her favorite movie) playing in the background all day.