XI-MAS!

neighbors,
Xmas was good.
family times.
food times.
berfday times.
friend times.
there were a lot of times in such a short time-
but,
i'm back where i most surely belong,
up in the white mountainous wintry woodsly goodness,
snug and safe within the walls of the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress,
with harvest and maple,
and the three of us had second christmas, a.k.a. nextmas, this morning.
yup.
dudes,
what comes after X?
XI.
that's right.
you know it, and you love it.
XI-MAS is in full effect,
and today is the day when we do what we do.
it's turned it up, rocked out,
and all together,
the three of us had one heck of an expert time.
check the family-togetherness-type teleport:

c'mon.
crabtree even wore his sweater.
i woke up extra early and made breakfast,
and then, once we munched up a little bit
(read as: gorged ourselves stupid and corpulent on deliciousness)
the presents were opened to the collective delight of everyone.
crabby gets a stocking, too.
in fact, the only empty one was mine.
womp womp.
but, guys,
i got the good paper,
the thoughtful contents,
the dedicated and determined presentation, consideration,
and professional appreciation,
not to mention the quantity.
i mean.
rules is rules,
and too much is the right amount.
so,
we did our thing,
and we're better off for it.
me and mine have our traditions,
and we've kept at 'em through thick, thin, hard, heavy, and cold.
it's all really happening,
but it's better when we're a trio of triumphant lightning-striking vikings,
savaging a stormswept raging crimbo holiday as one cohesive fighting unit.
we battle-beast and we battle-feast,
and we are lucky to have the time we do;
never quiet, never soft.....