Christmas is the Time to Say...

Well, considering that it is now January 6, it appears we made it through the holidays relatively unscathed. I say "relatively" because, well, why don't we give that story its own blog entry. Today will be a "two-fer" and believe you me, the second installment will be worth it.
Christmas was a good time. I had to work from 8am to noon, but fortunately Nigel is not yet totally aware of what Christmas is all about, so waiting until I got home to open the presents was no big deal. As a matter of fact, the kid really took his time opening his gifts - he was still doing so on New Year's Day. He'd open a gift,



and immediately want to play with whatever was inside,



and so an hour or so later he'd open another.



When all was said and done, the kid made out like a bandit once again. He got a Radio Flier push car,



various trucks,



noisemakers and instruments,



and even a tent we found at IKEA.




Oh, and with mommy and daddy being ever hopeful, he also got a potty seat, which he promptly used, although not for it's intended purpose.



We also got Margaret's mother a Roomba robot (or as she says, "row-but") vacuum cleaner.



It was from all of her kids, and the thing is pretty darn nifty, it even knows when its battery is running low and returns to its charging station. My mother-in-law, who used to vacuum daily, now watches the "row-but" vacuum daily instead. She really seems to like it.

Prior to Christmas arriving, we went to the Charleston and Mt. Pleasant Christmas parades.



Nigel enjoyed both, despite the fact that his view of the Charleston parade largely consisted of this:



This large woman kept standing in front of him (he was in his stroller), and when she wasn't blocking his view, my father's wife was. He seemed to have a good time nonetheless. Like every other Christmas parade in existence, these events give just about anyone the chance to show off their holiday spirit, which brings me to my problem with these things. There are things that belong in a Christmas parade, and things that don't.
I found myself turning to Margaret and muttering "Nothing says Christmas like (insert inappropriate item here)." So, in honor of the dueling Christmas parades, here is a sampling of some of the best (worst?) selections.

Nothing says Christmas like The Family Guy. Sure, I'm a fan of the show, but Stewie doesn't exactly scream family friendly yuletide fun...



Nothing says Christmas like King Tut...



Nothing says Christmas like jackbooted paramilitary teenagers...



Nothing says Christmas like Popeye the Sailor Man on a shrimp trawler...well, blow me down...





Nothing says Christmas like a giant life jacket with a face...



Nothing says Christmas like a freakin' HEARSE. Merry Christmas, kiddies! Bring out your dead!



Nothing says Christmas like scary hobo clowns. The one on the left looks like a member of Insane Clown Posse. Happy holidays, Juggalos!



Nothing says Christmas like belly dancers. I actually had no problem personally with this entry, yaknowwhutimean?



Nothing says Christmas like a stork administering the "bad touch" to a baby. So, so wrong...



Nothing says Christmas like a TV lawyer waving a baseball bat with the word "Justice" carved into it. The fact that there is a kid riding along with "Extreme Akim" doing the same is even worse.



Nothing says Christmas like Batman...



Nothing says Christmas like a giant symbol of backward racist hatred. Hey rebel-folk, there is presumably a time and place for everything, including presumably a time and place to wave your giant Confederate flag. A Christmas parade isn't one of them. You lost the war, get over it.



Nothing says Christmas like The Jungle Book...



Nothing says Christmas like whatever the hell "Sippin' Sisters of the Hood" is...



Nothing says Christmas like a father and son team dressed as toilets....



Nothing says Christmas like Spiderman....



Nothing says Christmas like a bunch of idiots sitting on a parade float playing Wii...



Nothing says Christmas like an ice cream truck in December. I am almost able to let this one slide though, since it was nearly 80 degrees here the week before Christmas.



Nothing says Christmas like Mr. Rooter...



Despite the strange entries, we had a good time at both parades.

Oh, and on the home front, our house was delivered a couple of weeks before Christmas. It's still being set up, but we should hopefully be in by early February. Here are some photos of the day it was delivered.