Nancy and I spent a quiet evening at home on Christmas Eve, but the next morning we loaded several bags of gifts into the car and drove to Birmingham. Santa got to Mark and Jenny's home before we did, so when we arrived, everyone was in good spirits in spite of only a few hours of sleep. In addition to our own gifts for everybody, we carried gifts from Aunt Melissa and cousins Savannah and Ian. So the excitement level ramped up again, and we all had a good time exchanging gifts. A Gentleman Jack came my way, just in time to replenish my supply.

In the meantime, Nancy and Jenny were hard at work on dinner. Nancy baked a turkey breast on Tuesday, which we took to Birmingham, and Mark smoked a turkey breast, so we had plenty of turkey for everyone. Jenny made a very good squash casserole for one of the sides. But before we sat down for dinner, we gathered on the steps for a Christmas picture. Jackson is 11, John Michael is 8 (and a half), and Margaret is almost 5. We did indeed have a Merry Christmas.