Was Dad in Progress Naughty or Nice?

Ok, so I got a little lost in the pre-Christmas prep and haven't been online in a while -- my apologies. But I hope everyone had a happy holiday and spent good quality time with family and friends having fun and enjoying the time off.

I'd say I was fairly well behaved this year, as Santa and his elves were pretty good to me. Here's a recap of some of the highlights of a blogging dad's Christmas take:

- Keurig Deluxe One-Cup Coffee Brewer (because I'm addicted to caffeine)
- stainless professional cookware set (so I can be just like my faves on the Food Network)
- 30GB iPod (finally, handheld movies and TV shows!)
- new ski jacket (though it's been 50-60 in New England all winter, making me VERY grouchy)
- electronic hand-held Sudoku (hmm...)
- Rubik's Cube
- Presto spinning pizza maker (gadget or gimmick?)
- gift cards (iTunes, Borders)

But Christmas isn't really about receiving. We bought and donated several big bags of toys for less fortunate children. Mom in Progress and I went into our daughter's first grade class to help with their holiday party and had fun with the kids (by the way, 20 6 year-olds and a craft project involving Elmer's glue, followed by two different kinds of cupcakes and juice boxes is enough to make even the slihgtest of the obsessive compulsive want to run screaming!) We attended a great family mass at our church, led by the children, that featured violinists, cellists, pianists and bell players. We spent Christmas Eve and day with family and shared a great meal and several (!) great bottles of wine.

In my next post, I'll review the various memorable kid moments and sayings, as well as review whether Santa went high-tech or classic with his holiday gifting and what the aftermath has been. Hope your holiday was memorable!