Christmas and other Shenanigans in Worland, WY: 2013

Oh to be home for the holidays! A long-awaited joy in the life of the Harringtons and while the school district wasn't overly generous in vacation time, it was far more than the couple had enjoyed for the previous two years during the actual holiday season and therefore allowed them embrace the days they had and spend as much time as possible lazing around and visiting family.

The bulk of Christmas vacation as well as the official Christmas holidays were spent with the Harrington family eating, eating, reading, eating, traveling, attending church services, eating, reading, blogging, wasting time on the internet and eating some more...oh, and just in case you can't put two-and-two together, eating always includes drinking, and lately, drinking always involves new (or well-loved microbrews...Christmas in Worland included Pig's Ass Porter and Polygamy Porter among others).

Aside from such a heavy schedule of dining and relaxing, the Harrington duo, in tow with the sisters made a quick trip to Billings to see Grandma Barb. With nothing but warmth and love, Grandma Barb welcomed in her grand-kids and quickly asked that the dog be returned to the car, because, unfortunately for Lady Annyeong, three-legged great-grand-mutts are not welcome to run free in all abodes. So while Lady shivered, the Harringtons enjoyed burgers and learning about Grandma Barb's life and her days in a sorority and her connection to Roald Dahl. Finally, commenting that the sun would soon go down and there was still a bit of driving to be done, the Harringtons slipped out of Grandma's house and joked on the way home about Tiger Lady and bugtruk (two Montana drivers who had earlier made a lasting impression on the Harrington-filled Subaru) before drifting off to sleep and letting the man Harrington get them safely home.

The holiday continued with the Christmas Eve meal and supplementary traditions (reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and other such cheer-bringing, holiday-spirited stories), Christmas morning stockings and gifts, traditional morning coffee cake, breakfast with Heidi and eventually the large, impossible to put-a-dent-in Christmas meal featuring turkey, prime rib, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, rolls and every other imaginable item to be consumed...it was all there.

Rolling themselves home and overcoming the lethargic feeling that can only be induced by an abundance of food, the entire Harrington family eventually enjoyed the vacation playing new games, watching new movies, baking home-made pizzas and resting in the joy that is family and vacation and the promise of new beginnings.