XI-MAS!!

...aaaaaand a whole full-sized second christmas for my kids.
after a long day of driving in driving winds and plummeting temperatures,
down and up,
we returned in triumph to the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress,
and set ourselves up with an even louder, fresher, harder batch
of holiday cheer and goodwill and sh!t like that.
yup.
that's real.
check it:

after the X marks the spot,
we set our sights on the come up,
and it's always expert.
shouts the F* out to XI-mas!

the crisp-edged metallic foil paper is tight and bright,
and the stocking game is too damned righteous for sure.
do you see all those luxxxurious candy-style canes?
those aren't the multi-pack box-jauns.
nope.
those're the expensive sh!ts, because my crimbo situation is no joke.
we've got traditions to maintain,
and we've got expectations to at least meet if not exceed...
hmmm?
well, yeah,
of course i pack each present full of color-coordinated outfit hottness.
what do you think i am?
an A*-hole?
no way, josé.
i care a great deal about these two teen turds.
and it means an awful lot to me to watch them open up carefully collected
thoughtful, site-specific holiday expressions of my year-round affection.
that's the truth.
*
yes,
we froze ourselves silly on the way to the woodsly goodness.
yes,
crabtree was overly excited and did his best
to make a needling naughty nuisance of himself for most of the afternoon.
yes.
we had a special dinner, but only after we had ALL the chocolate.
yup.
harvest, maple, kayla, and i all enjoyed ourselves,
and each others' company,
and the spirit and memory of XI-mas, too.
and that dinner?
damn dudes, that's it's own thing,
but it's a damned good thing at that.
***********
now, it's time to get back to the grind,
and keep those hard styles poppin' at AMPERSAND TATTOO.
i know you've got that christmas money,
and i hope i see you soon to hand some of it over to y'boi
in exchange for a mark on your permanent record.
i'm on that daytime tattzap work release,
sandwiched between morning and nighttime family togetherness
with my peoples and my pup.
i am grateful for the time i have been given, guys.
it's all killer, and no filler.
100% expert spanning of moments and spaces for our faces;
never quiet, never soft.....