I hope every one is having a Happy Christmas time.

I went shopping today - and my feet hurt! I went to three different stores, one twice as I had to return the birthday gift for the heir to the throne as the mom-in-law bought the same thing. Great minds I guess! I still haven't gotten anything to replace it yet. It must suck to have your birthday so close to Christmas, though he has never complained.

Today is a sad day though, it is the anniversary of when my granddad died two years ago. I have thought about him many times today and since my grandmother passed away this past July it seems even sadder. They were both special to me - not that all grandparents aren't, but as a child I saw them about every other weekend until I was six. After that it seems like we saw them every couple of months and I would spend some of the summer with them until I graduated high school. And even then I called often and wrote letters and saw them at holidays and special occasions.

It was really hard having my granddad die just before Christmas (and have his funeral on the heir's b-day). But as we all had a chance to say goodbye even though he was in a coma it was some relief. Had the hospital not headed the DNR - do not resisitate - we wouldn't have had that chance - so we had a early Chirstmas sort-of miracle I suppose since the family all got to be there when he was in the hospital, to say good-byes and then at the funeral. It was a time when we got to share stories of him when we were growing up - Did you know I was the only one of the eight grandkids that he ever spanked. I mean, I wouldn't have poured my ice down that lady's shirt at the rodeo has she sat still. It wasn't my fault her beehive was too high for a five-year-old to see over, was it?

I often can still here the way he scolded us like one of his horses ... hannnn (more a sound than a word) and I find myself doing it to the boys every so often. He was so proud of all his grandkids and his great-grandkids.

I hope all children can have grandparents that love them and can love back like I had! My New Jersey grandparents were special too but I rarely got to see them growing up. That I do feel like I missed out on a bunch. With just my Grandma left up in West Paterson, I wish we could get up there more so she could see the boys grow - but it is so darn far!

Remember to hug you grandparents, grandkids or even a Curmudgeonly neighbor that might need some holiday cheer!