Christmas, Part I

Christmas break is half over....(pause for groans from those of you not employed in the education realm)...and highlights thus far are as follows:

• Chasing cattle on Christmas Eve. On the Koehler farm, there's less need to worry about the extra calories from the holiday goodies (and my mom is the queen of holiday goodies) because walking (and sometimes running) through 5-8 inches of snow completed decked in cold-weather gear for about an hour burns a fair amount of calories. Squishing into the tractor cab with Scott and two brothers, inhaling the cold winter air, feeling the wind chapping my cheeks, watching steam rise from the cow pies I'm sidestepping as I walk behind the herd...ah, yes, the sights and sounds of Christmas. An added bonus: Scott thinks I look pretty cute in my green coveralls and yellow fleece stocking hat :)
• Playing Scrabble. My mom and I play two to three games of Scrabble a year: Thanksgiving and Christmas. The first couple of years when Scott came home, I could beat him easily. Now, because of that stupid game on his cell phone, he soundly beats my mom and I every time. My brother, Todd, came close one game, but, alas, he is the house Scrabble champ. Drat!
• Playing cards. The Koehler's are a card-playing family, so the holidays often find us gathered around the kitchen table for a game of cards (usually Hearts for those card playing afficianados out there...if only I could figure out how to take all the points instead of coming within two or three. Maybe next year). Here, again, I often find myself on the losing end. Good thing I'm such a good sport :)
• Winning Christmas carol-themed games. Thankfully I don't lose every game I play. At the Christmas party for our church's small group, I (and Ranae) rocked the "Name that Christmas Carol" and "Christmas Carol Pictionary" games. I knew listening to the 24/7 Christmas carol station would pay off some day!
• Reading for fun. I highly recommend A Thousand Spendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner). The story will draw you in and make you thankful for living in the good ol' USA.

I hope your Christmas has been a very merry one as well!