Merry Christmas Eve!

Everybody came over this evening for our big Christmas Giftapalooza.

Peeper got some cool stuff, but some of it was things that we couldn't play with right away, and when she ripped through all her gifts, and her cousins still had a bunch left, because they were taking turns, and because they had two packages each from us, whereas Peeper had a tiny package with cash in it from them, it took some talking to get her back on board with the whole "celebration" thing.

She was particularly interested in one of DaNiece's gifts, so I asked her "Do you want to spend some of your money on it?" She did, so I pulled up the Amazon app on my phone, and bought it right then and there.

She cheered up later, and by the time all the kids had a "glow show" with their new light-up Pillow Pets, she was pretty happy about her stuff, and even declared that the Pillow Pet "is perfect!"

When we were making plans for Christmas dinner, I volunteered Peeper and myself to help with several things, since we were in town for a few days ahead of time. Yesterday, we made pies, and somewhere along the way, Peeper had gotten the idea that she wanted to help prepare the turkey this evening.

So, after telling Uncle BabyBro, HerLovelyAunt and the cousins good night, (yelling up from the bottom of the stairs, "Good night! Have a good sleep! Don't let the bedbugs bite!") we got started on the turkey.

I'd told her all about what was involved, to make sure she knew what to expect. "It's a big, naked, dead bird. Are you okay with that?" She was very okay with it.

She wasn't especially thrilled when I opened up the giblet bag to show her the heart, liver and something, "I'm done looking at them now," but she played with the neck for quite a while. When it was time to get the kidneys out, I was icking out about doing it with my hands, and Peeper said, "You just have to be really brave, Mama. You can do it, you can do it. "

Well, hell, now I have to do it.

Once that was done, it was time to do the buttering, and she was all about that. She buttered that turkey up, but good, saying, "I love getting messy!"

Between the butter and the turkey juice, there was definitely another late-night shower before turning in.

Tomorrow will be the the Big Christmas Dinner.