Holiday recap

We had a lovely holiday this year — nothing new or unusual — just good old tradition! You may recall that my dad had an unexpected quadruple bypass in 2008, just a few days before Christmas. So normal Christmas = great!

Even though no one else saw it, Brad and I got our first Christmas tree together. It made the apartment smell great! We were sad to see it go.

And, of course, there were lots of cookies — a la Danielle. Except I forgot to put carrot noses on the snowmen until it was too late...hindsight is 20/20, right?

One holiday tradition that has stuck with my family for a long time is Christmas breakfast with the Hollanders. During our traditional breakfast, Charlie (my dad) cooks, mimosas are made and consumed (although the kids weren't always allowed to have those!), napkin rings are stuck in our eye sockets (long story), and a family photograph is taken.

Recent additions to Christmas breakfast include: Bubba (dog), Jasmine (dog), and Brad (human). Meet Jasmine (Susan's dog) and Brad...

See Jasmine and Bubba...could they be any different?

And of course, the annual Hollander/Mittermaier photo taken using the tripod...

When did everybody get so tall? Well, almost everybody! It's such a gift to have friends who feel like family! And another wonderful year comes and goes...