Wednesday, December 30, 2009

clockwise or chaos

Dear QotD?ers,

While I was perusing facebook today, I happened upon pictures of Anne's brother's family. Included in the set was a full family picture, including Anne, mostly covered by Mr. SuperHappySunshine Smiles, Sweetie Pie and Dr. Fandango, sporting the most awesome shaggy haircut ever. 10 majïk Co§mic ßrÖwnie points to Dr. Fandango for shaggy hair! Everyone else, if you get shaggy hair or dye it purple, I'll give you 10 points too.
We have tickets to WW,DTM, but we ended up getting some cheap seats. The expensive seats were expensive!
Last night I used my shampoo bar for the first time (shampoo in bar form - less waste and less harmful chemicals. prompted by Skittl's experience). I don't know that my hair is transformed yet, but it feels and looks at least as nice as with regular shampoo. More updates to come.

You are most likely reading this on New Year's Eve (Happy Anniversary Skittl!). Whatever your plans are tonight, staying home or attempting Time's Square, stay safe and have fun!

Today's Question of the Day? is:

When Christmas gifts are opened with your loved ones, are they opened all at once or do you go around taking turns?


Love,
The Asker and husband, selfportrait, new camera, christmas eve

13 comments:

kathleen said...

Years ago we took the 'taking turns' approach with family....and then I don't know what happened. Small children and impatience, I guess. Children don't like to wait and watch others open presents.
When Martin and I opened our presents to each other this year, we took turns.
I'm curious and can't wait to read the other answers.

Happy New Year!

The Minears said...

We watch Annelise open a few gifts and then open a few of ours while she plays with what she just opened for a few minutes, then she opens more and so on.

Happy New Year! Five years ago I was newly-graduated, engaged, and a bridesmaid in one of my dearest friends' weddings. Happy Anniversary, Roommate!

Mother of Three, Anne said...

It is most assuredly the presence of small children that will determine how the presents get opened. And I think that the number of small children is also important, as if you only have one or two small children, it is easier to maintain a pattern of opening gifts.

I will say that it is generally a free for all with the children. Personally, I usually sit and watch and only open gifts once all the kids are done.

A wedding on New Year's Eve?? And, I bet niether Skittl nor her husband continue to forget when their anniversary is!! Happy continued wedded bliss!!

kathleen said...

Here's a thought.
Years ago....at weddings.......the bride and groom would open their wedding gifts at the reception and everyone one would see what they received as gifts.
I don't know that anyone does that anymore.
This was in the day when the wedding ceremony and the reception would last just about all day.
Martin and I did that and it took a good hour ........I guess..........That was almost 38 years ago.
Any comments? Please share.

Jeannie said...

When the kids were little, Santa set out a few large gifts unwrapped, but we generally took turns opening the wrapped ones. We usually start with either the youngest or oldest, go around the room opening one gift at a time and letting everyone ooo and aaaa!It seems to take us about a hour, but isn't the anticipation part of the fun? We laugh at who has the largest gift, heaviest, most unusual shaped, etc before unwrapped. My sister gets the "prize" for the most beautiful gifts wrapped, she makes gorgeous bows on each gift.

Tami Parker said...

I prefer round-robin style (I don't have kids, so anyone who starts whining about wanting to open THEIR present NOW is out of diapers and gets mocked)

I want to see what other people got and their reactions to them.

I want to watch someone open a gift I gave them - part of the gift is the BACKWARD gift where I get to see that I chose well, and that they enjoyed it.

And I want to make sure that the person who gave me a gift knows just how much I loved it. =]

As I haven't seen this picture of Anne's brother's family, I will imagine it. Anne is beautiful, wreathed in smiles, and wearing a very very fancy victorian gown. Mr. SuperHappySunshineSmiles is wearing a superhero costume covered (much like Vince from the "Someone's copying me!" epsisode of Mighty Boosh). Dr. Fandango is wearing an evil laboratory coat, spattered with either raspberry jelly or blood, it's hard to tell. His hair is very shaggy, with a set of evil goggles desperately trying to keep it out of his face. He looks MUCH more evil than Dr. Horrible, of course. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* Sweetie Pie is hugging a cupcake the size of a small person, also happy.

Oh, and everyone is a cartoon. Anne is Disney-style. Mr. SuperHappySunshineSmiles is anime. Dr. Fandango is comic book. And Sweetie Pie is anime, but the cute big-eyed version instead of the edgy awesome-hair version.

Happy Anniversary Skittl!!

I am intrigued wish to know more of this shampoo bar (and subscribe to your newsletter).

Mother of Three, Anne said...

@ Kathleen,

I have a math problem. You and Martin have been married more than twice as long as Bob and I have, but you are only about five years older than me. Oh, and you have a GRANDDAUGHTER the same age as my daughter, but you aren't more than five years older than me!! Were you three when you got married?

That brings me to my other math problem. This spring, as our first date was to Easter Mass, but you know how Easter moves all over the calender, will mark the moment in my life where I will have been WITH Bob longer than I have been WITHOUT Bob. But Bob passed that point three years ago. As we refer to it, "the sentence" is the same, so how come it is going to take me longer to serve MY time???

@ TamiJean!

I think that you HAVE seen the picture from my brother's facebook page!!

By the way, my face was obscured, Akser, because I COULD NOT STAND ON MY TIPPY TOES ANY HIGHER!!! Mr. SHSS would have just looked like he had poofy hair if I had stood flat footed and I would have fallen into oblivion. And I am aghast that Dr. Fandango got 10 cosmic brownie points for his hair!!

sweetie pie said...

All at the same time! And Asker yes I can get my whole family to play Just Dance with me! Also you should see my brothers dance to the music! Also you sould see Dr.Fandango dance to Le Freak,which is disco!

Mr. SuperHappySunshineFantasticalSmileyFace said...

TamiJean, how did you know that I wear the Mirror Ball Suit and a cape ?!?!?!?!?! Is that still too many ! and ? ??????? Speaking of Monty Python,(wink, wink, nudge, nudge) we got a huge collection including And Now For Something Completely Different and Life of Brian!!!!!!!!!!(Sorry!)Oh, all at once.

Love,Mr.SuperHappySunshineFantasticalSmileyFace

P.S. Fantastical is a word!!!!

kathleen said...

Anne,
Yes, I was three! ;)

About the other math problem..with Bob...I thought the two of you were the same age?? I will have to ponder that problem.

Happy New Year to all!

Mother of Three, Anne said...

Happy New Year!

And Kathleen greeted the New Year early!!

@ Kathleen,

I know you were super young when you got married!! I knew it!!

Here is my favorite math problem, so posed to me by my daughter.

"Mom, how old will you be when I am nineteen?"

"Are you ready? It is a really big number?"

"Yep."

"I will be 56 when you are 19."

Long, thoughtful pause.

"That is really wierd, Mom, because you are so close to being 56, but I am so far away from being 19!!"

In this case, fourteen did not equal fourteen and it was a very painful truth for me to comprehend. Math is not absolute!!!

And then suddenly I had to wonder if Britney Spears was smarter than me, as she was determined to have her kids when she was young.

Kristen said...

Mom, I don't remember opening one at a time, it must have been a long time ago or I just have a bad memory!

Angel-A, that's an excellent plan. I hope Annelise got some good stuff!

Anne, was there family crafted gifts this year? Skittl's formal-dress wedding gave me the opportunity to wear a bridesmaid dress! It was great!

Tamijean, I agree with you. I'd be good to see everyone opening the gift I gave them. I would love to see your version of Anne's family.

Anne, I figured as much about Mr. SuperHappySunshineSmiles. Sweetie Pie was also very tall in the picture. a trick of perception? standing on a stepstool? or is she really almost as tall as you and Mr. SHSS?

Mother of Three, Anne said...

No trick photography on Jessica. She is that tall. I does not appear that there are four years between Jessica and Nick because she is that tall.

My running jokes on the matter...

Jessica's legs are as long as mine are! (Which is not much of a joke as it is more of the reality of things.)

Nick is my one child who appears normal in a crowd. This is a deception. He is not a normal child at all.

When I recently shared a family phot on my cell phone with some friends, Sandra was unable to find me at first....she thought we had an extra kid in the picture. But you know what, Sandra is almost six foot tall, so I really don't need her input on things!!