Guys, I'm eating junk and watching rubbish! You better come out and stop me! - Kevin McAllister

William and I are in the middle of Christmas Vacation. We are constantly snacking on treats and listening to this on vinyl:

It's been magical.

Here are some images around our Holiday abode:

Yes, that is a 3rd stocking for baby girl. We are going to fill it with baby bottles filled with Southern Comfort egg nog. (According to William, Jay Coombs, and David Bradford, that's the best egg nog.)

I finally made the Dana Christmas Toffee treat. It's my favorite Christmas taste and smell...AND it's Tom Brokaw's favorite Christmas treat. (Ask me if you'd like to hear that story. It's Grandma Dora's proudest moment...next to the birth of her only red-headed granddaughter.)

And finally, William and I are continuing our Christmas tradition of recording a Christmas song. (We're hoping in 10 years, we'll be able to release an actual album that will be played over and over again on KEZ 99.9 for years to come and we'll collect royalties and we'll never have to work again.)

Last year, we sang about Christmas around the campfire in Campfire Christmas. This year, we took the traditional song, "Baby It's Cold Outside", and put our own spin on it.

Enjoy:

Happy Christmas everyone!

Beating Robs...a new Christmas Tradition?

This is my brother-in-law Robs:

He's the one on the left, enjoying a feminine-pink Italian soda with Alan.

Growing up in a house full of competitive boys, I may have picked up a little competitiveness of my own. Just a little.

And for some reason beyond me, I've chosen to fiercely compete with Robs.

For example, when I play Ticket to Ride with my in-laws, Robs is the man to take down. He's like a virus--He destroys railroad tracks in a sinister silence AND when you least expect it. Plus, he wins practically every game. So during those few times when he loses, I feel like my dad after an ASU win against U of A--I just want to run out and bear my testimony.

Recently, Robs posted a rather charming recipe for Hot Cocoa on Facebook: Hot chocolate + mint extract + whipped cream + nutmeg.

My competitive drive decided to one-up Robs by making an even more delicious Hot Cocoa recipe.

So William and I made a recipe similar to "Flanders Hot Cocoa" last night. Ned Flanders is a neighbor to the Simpsons, and in the Simpsons movie, he makes Bart a dreamy hot cocoa concoction. See the clip here.

Hershey's Bliss Hot Chocolate + Whipped Cream + Oreo Vanilla Wafers + Chocolate shavings + more Whipped Cream + a toasted Marshmallow = Heaven

Behold:

Robs, enjoy your nutmeg/mint cocoa. I think I won this round. What a great way to get into the Christmas spirit!