Thursday 13

Thirteen Things You Might Have Seen If You'd Been Here at Christmas 1. Midnight — Cookies and two glasses of milk left for Santa, along with a cheeky note that read, "Jesus Loves You." Not much later, to our wondering eyes did appear, a less than politically correct reply I will not repeat here. 2. 6:30 a.m. — Two excited teenagers yowling out "Silver Bells" at the tops of their lungs, amid much hysterical giggling, in an attempt to torture awaken their sleepy parents. 3. 8:00 a.m. — A wasteland of wrapping paper and cardboard boxes. I suppose there were gifts in there, too, but it was hard to see them. 4. 8:30 a.m. — Frank and Chloe putting together her new desk chair. "Where are the parts?" "What parts?" 5. 9:00 a.m. — Chloe putting together the very nifty drafting-table TV tray Santa found really cheap at RiteAid on 12/23. 6. 9:01 a.m. — MJ asleep on the couch and Frank and Ronnie, back in bed. 7. Noon — Chloe sitting in her new chair at her new table, very happily doing art with some new supplies, evidently having been in that position for quite some time. (She never did nap, preferring to ride the high until well past #13 below.) 8. 12:10 p.m. to eternity — Ronnie talking on the phone. 9. 3:00 p.m. — MJ struggling to decide which of her new irreverent t-shirts to wear. Narrowing her choices down to the red and green ones was easy, but then it got tricky. Her final choice: Emotional Trip. 10. 6:00 p.m. — "Aliens vs. Predator" at the snow-dusted multiplex with Frank and MJ. 11. 7:00 p.m. — Ronnie and Chloe figuring out the round looms left by Mrs. Claus. 12. 10:00 p.m. — "V for Vendetta" on MJ's new DVD. (I'd never seen it before and might have more to say on it later.) This was one of a couple of the movies on her favoritest movies list that we received this year. She also got "Fight Club," and I got "Pride and Prejudice," since it's on my as-yet-unwritten favoritest movies list, too. 13. Midnight — Chloe modeling the new hat she made, not long before the oldest of us called it a (very wonderful) day. Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants