So Christmas for me was all right this year. Not too many ups or downs like there have been in the past year (aside from the total downers at work).

I was pleasantly surprised a couple of times since this year I wasn’t really expecting anything much from family. We had all decided it would be a frugal Christmas, and my brother and I are too old to receive gifts from our extended family.

We drove up north on Christmas eve and spent the evening with my mom’s side of the family. Almost all my cousins, aunts and uncles were there for our white Christmas, with the exception of our American relatives who couldn’t make it up. But all was not lost! Wonder of wonders my uncle whipped out his laptop and called my aunt up on Skype!

It was pretty cool, but weird, too. My American family was there for our family dinner… but virtually! The webcam was set up and we all interacted with it throughout the meal, so it really felt as if the rest of the family was there. I think back to all the Christmases we missed them before and how times have changed!

I hung out with my cousins who are finally old enough to relate to  and we all just did family-type things, playing gift games and opening presents that evening.

In the morning we had a nice brunch, called my aunt on Skype again for a bit, then my little family was off to our second Christmas with my dad’s side of the family. We got there and had a nice dinner with my grandparents and aunt, uncle & cousin. I gave my grandparents that gift basket and they seemed happy to get it. And they gave me some money which I was not expecting, so I may be able to get that new winter coat after all!

After that we headed home, finally to have our own Christmas! We opened a few gifts with our different families, but the bulk of them were saved for our own immediate family’s celebration.

This is where it gets interesting… apparently all of us ignored the “frugal Christmas” rule this year! We all got way more than we thought we would. My brother was particularly generous to me, getting me a Toblerone bar, a new skillet I wanted, the Zombie Survival Guide and then a facial at my favourite spa! Holy cow, he really went overboard! I’m really going to have to make it up to him… I got him a session at a specialty shooting range where he can try out all the crazy military guns. It is for us to do together and only cost $40. We have to buy ammo separately so I suppose I can make up for it by buying a lot of that!

My parents also surprised me; after a few odds& ends and gag gifts, my final present was an iPod Touch 3G, 32 Gigs! Woah! I had no idea I would be getting that–I think they’re cool but I never actually mentioned getting one in front of my parents. But it’s pretty neat. I can’t wait to use the GPS features, Facebook, surf the net, etc. on it! I think it’s a great transition piece for me. I love the apps and features, but I didn’t want to get an iPhone because of the monthly cost associated with it. With the Touch, I can do just about everything and only need a WiFi signal. Luckily there are plenty of those in Toronto!

So that was definitely a highlight this week. I was honest-to-goodness surprised at Christmas, and delighted as well! I’ve got a new toy and some cash thanks to my grandparents to spend on other things.

Speaking of which, I braved the crowds today and managed to pick up a couple of tops, some undies, a silicone case for my iPod and some nice new sheets for my bed. Tomorrow I hope to get a new desk for my room and perhaps a new winter coat!

Note: I have a password-protected post coming up regarding someone I have a huge crush on, who may like me(???)… if you like my relationship/love posts you can email me to request the password. Because of the nature of the relationship I don’t want to make it TOO public… (gingercorsair at gmail dot com)