Huntsville is very flat! We almost don’t have a sled hill at our house. But we do have this little gully in the way back. 

Also today, George and Della got bunkbeds. George had been sleeping in a crib all this time, and his complaints against the crib were many. He said it was too small for him, dirty, broken, and had too warm of pillows.

Bappa, call the Wangsgards. We’re going to need more hay.

In addition to excessive amounts of bouncy horses, the kids got much-asked-for lassoes. 

George and Steve went to the guitar pick store the other day. George is really into guitar picks. He often sleeps with one in his hand. 

As recently as yesterday, it occurred to George that he would very much like a guitar to go with his picks. But he was sure that elves couldn’t make guitars because they can only make tiny things. This morning he was proven wrong. (Though he still claims the elves/Santa didn’t make this…they just had one lying around.)

George also got this Utah sweater. Plus his middle name is Ogden. If we lose him in the airport, the airport people will know where to send him.

Speaking of losing things in the airport, I almost lost my camera there, and I was enormously bereft. I had already chosen a title for the end-of-year longform essay I was going to write on the subject — “On Losing My Camera (and My Mom)” — when my camera was miraculously recovered. Phew. Now I don’t have to write anything.

Meanwhile, Della got this peacock butterfly dress.

She is still singing, loud and a lot.

The Nutcracker, in which there is no singing, is still cracking.

The D.C. metro is still running. Walking. Limping, by some reports.

Our old friend Elliot is still face-painting, but now with street makeup.

George still girlies it up from time to time, but only for beautiful women.

We still have some friends.

Steve still has a job.

And Christmas is as it always was: exciting, excessive, communal, commercial, sacred, and secular. A triumphant end to a rabbit hole of a year.

Baby Waffles was born December 12, which is also Paul’s girlfriend Nicki’s birthday! Nicki’s family suggested Paul name the new baby “Nicki.” But roommate John has been eating a lot of waffles lately, so they named it that.

Waffles has one Nike stripe eyebrow.

John found Waffles in the field when he was riding his bike home from work. 

Paul says that Waffles weighs about nine pounds and that she doesn’t think she likes to be held, but once you’re holding her she does like it.

Waffles’s favorite food is alpaca milk.

Her favorite hobbies are exploring the world, running up to things, and sniffing.

Look at this alpaca threesome. Hot, hot, hot.

Actually this is just Baby Bennett trying to get some attention from her dad, Mike, while Mike makes moves on Big Fluff. 

Don’t worry, Mike got snipped. There won’t be anymore alpaca babies. Actually Paul says there could be two more.

Bappa Mike says, “Mike is quite amorous. I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Baby Bennett was born in January, the same exact day Baby Pip died! Baby Pip had the same mom (Little Spring) as Baby Waffles. 

Baby Bennett loves Big Paul!

I asked Paul why he has so many animals. He said, “The goats came with the house. The alpacas keep the grass down and make manure. They are my friends.”

Post Edit: Right after we posted these photos, we ate waffles. 

We also regretted not mentioning Paul’s bees, which produced this honey, which we used in the waffles.

Some pics from just before it started raining.

We didn’t even know George was going to be in the show till the day-of, because every time we asked him if he was singing a song in the concert he always said, “Nah!”

Della picked out this sheepy vest to match her bunny ears, and she was not shy on stage…

…but she was shy of Santa, whom she said was just a guy in a costume, and she’s shy of people in costumes. Nevertheless, she told George to be her proxy, repeating twice her list of Christmas wishes in hopes that he would pass along her message. Not sure if George complied. In any case, he was clear about wanting a lasso and another bouncy horse.

Della: I felt your warmness in the gym at school today.

Me: What do you mean by warmness?

Della: The niceness that comes over to us from the people we love.