Chrismahanukwanzika

It's that time of the year again, and I'm so excited!  Yesterday I came home from work and lazily got ready to head up to Sacramento for the (sorta) annual party my parents hold at their house.  While I was doing so, Carly said she wanted to come and it was GREAT to have company on the drive.  We talked the entire time which made it all super easy and arrived right after 6pm.  There were already some people there, all of whom were beyond welcoming.  That, in addition to the sights and smells of the holidays, just filled me with a sense of warmth.  The first thing we did was call my brother to light the menorah (last night was the first night of Hanukkah); we had to do it twice because the candles burned out the first time...ominous in a way.  After that there was non-stop talking and eating as more and more people filtered in and we all quickly entered into a food coma.  My mom made everything except for the bagels and lox ("everything" includes kugel, matzah ball soup, ham (ironic), lasagna, chili, a Mexican casserole, challah, and a variety of other dessert-like things) and it was a very impressive spread.  Everyone wanted to hear about my time in Australia and the more I talked about it the more I had the urge to go back for a visit.  This time last year, my parents were packing up to come over for graduation; it's crazy where a year takes you!

Carly and I played dreidel with one of the little girls that was there and we both got our butts kicked; she was a first time player and took home all the coins.  Everyone began packing up around 9:30pm, though it took another hour for them to actually get out the door.  I heard multiple people remarking on how they needed to be rolled to the car because of all the goods they consumed, but there was not one person who left who didn't have a smile on their face.  Even Carly and I, who drove back down here last night, left feeling awesome and ready to conquer the road.  I think it was just what we needed to get into the holiday spirit.  "It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

Happy Holidays and thanks Mom and Dad for being such amazing hosts!