Nancy and I went to church on Christmas Eve after a light evening meal. We opened gifts from family members and exchanged gifts after Mass. We stayed up very late; actually watching 30 or 40 minutes of the midnight Mass from the Vatican. I turned off the light in the bedroom at 2:30 after I finished the novel I was reading. On Christmas day we packed up the car and headed off to Birmingham. I just managed to stay awake for the entire trip; I was driving!!

In Birmingham Jenny had a very nice early afternoon dinner prepared. After dinner we exchanged gifts and enjoyed the grandkids' reactions to our presents. After policing the area, we got everyone together and snapped this picture. The tall one in the back is Jackson, age 12. The shorter one in the back is John Michael (9). The really short one in the front is Margaret who will be 6 in February. The others, whose ages we no longer track, are son Mark, daughter-in-law Jenny, wife Nancy and me.

We were planning to spend several days in Birmingham, but we decided to return to Huntsville yesterday and bring the grandkids with us. Mark and Jenny remained in Birmingham and are celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary at home. The silence must be delightful. :-)