Can't wait for Christmas!

On the 24th, Jeff and Donna and the boys (Jake and Luke) are going to pick me up and take me over to their house in N. Richland Hills for the holiday. I'll be staying over until the 26th. I'm so excited since I won't be able to spend Christmas with my family this year (my brother Lonnie, who usually hosts Christmas when he's home, won't be this year. :-(). We always have a group dinner at my apartment building, but it'll be fun to be able to have a "family" Christmas (even if I am sort of crashing another family's party). And hopefully this time next year my roommate and I will be having our own "family" Christmas (and maybe I'll be able to host... I'll have to talk to her, of course, but it'll be nice to be able to reciprocate sometimes my own family's hospitality).

I still need to ask my neighbor if she can dogsit while I'm away, or at least come over a couple of times a day to play with Alaska. I know the poor little girl will miss me, and I just hope she won't think I've abandoned her. I took her to the groomer for a bath and a trim on Saturday, but before I had to go cash a check. I had to leave her in  the taxi while I ran in, and she went crazy whining and all. She was so happy when I came back. :-) (I've never left her for more than a few hours, and never with a stranger, which the cab driver obviously was.) So it'll be interesting to see how she gets along for a whole day and two nights.

I still need to buy Jeff and Donna their host's gift. I'll have to stop by Albertson's or someplace to pick up a tray of cookies (not much of a baker here) to take over with me. I also need to pick out a nice card to give them.

Edit: Just had to add the above pic which I shared from a friend who shared from someone else. Amazing that this is what Christmas now amounts to for a lot of people. Like I commented on my facebook post, Christmas should be so much more than the season of "gimme", it should be the season of "'Tis better to give than to receive", even for those who don't believe in Christ/celebrate his birth.