• My wife's office party was at our house. 30 adults, about 22 kids. We put tables and chairs in the garage, so everyone fit even if it was a little tacky. But they're all salespeople, so tacky doesn't really bother them.
• Thursday night was my daughter's Christmas program for school. She's in preschool, but it's part of a larger Catholic school, so we got to sit through every grade and their songs.
• Christmas lights on Friday. Went to The Plaza, which is something like the oldest outdoor shopping center in America. It has been around about 100 years, and is done in Spanish/Morrocan architecture, with fountains and statuary everywhere. The lights there are beautiful. I was an Assistant Manager at the Starbucks there for a while, and I stopped in there Friday night for a hot chocolate and a gingerbread latte (2 shots, 4 pumps gingerbread syrup in a Tall - it's perfect that way, if you like strong and sweet). I'm so glad I don't work there anymore. One of the top 20 retail stores in the USA, and one of the top 10 in total volume. Christmas season is not fun there.
• Party for friends - not work - at our house on Saturday. I found out that mulled wine is something that everyone will "ooh" and "ahh" over and say that it's really good, but will put down pretty quickly and not touch again. Me included, and I made the stuff. It did taste pretty good, especially for a first time. But it's rich and very different-tasting.
• Apparently, the only kind of beer in my house is the kind "you have to chew." Philistines.
• We attended the baptism of a boy who was born just 6 days before Ian. A friend was just ordained this year, and he was able to perform the baptism.
• Finally, there was a St. Nicholas party last night for our church. Pretty fun, but what a week. For about 4 days straight my daughter did not get to bed before 11pm - she's actually been taking naps again.
• Diet Dr. Pepper is the best carbonated soft drink on the market. Not the best diet soft drink, just the best one. That's because all the regular ones now use HFCS instead of sugar, which changes their mouthfeel and leaves a nasty aftertaste. Jones Soda uses HFCS, so I guess the only thing that really distinguishes them from Coca-Cola is their pictures and nasty holiday-themed sodas. Whoop-de-freaking-do.
  

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