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I thought you might enjoy hearing what happened to me over the holiday: [Warning: there's one section that some of you may not like reading.]

Early morning, Christmas Day: I get to my parents' house before anybody else, since I live in the same town. There's some sleet falling, but it hasn't started snowing yet.

0930, December 25: My mom has a conniption fit because she's worried nobody else is going to make it.

0940: My sister calls and says she's just about to leave from her home three hours away in Massachusetts, since there hasn't been any snow there yet.

1230: My sister and her family arrive, saying that they had no bad weather until the last 15 miles of the trip.

1800: We've eaten Christmas dinner and opened all the gifts. By this time, several inches of snow have fallen, and it's clear I'm staying at my parents' place for the night.

1920: We all sit down at the dining room table to play a game of Parcheesi (we need something age-appropriate for the kids) -- when the power goes out. Fortunately, my father has a generator, so we have some power.

2130: Power still isn't back on, so my father takes the pickup truck out to plow the driveway and check to see how widespread the power outage is (since they live on a dead end, they want to make certain they're not the only ones without power! ) While he's out, the mother of my best friend from high school calls, because they're snowed in, my friend has to be two hours' drive away in NYC by noon on the 26th to be in court (he's a lawyer; he's not on trial!), and she's afraid her husband will get a heart attack shovelling the driveway, so could my father please come and plow them out?

2330: Everybody gets ready for a long, chilly night in bed.

0220, December 26: Power finally comes back on. I get up to let my father know and to get something to drink, as my throat is parched.

0500: I wake up desperately needing to go to the can. Unfortunately, I can hear somebody else up and about -- my sister apparently needs to use the bathroom too. Finally, I get to go -- and it turns out that I've got diarrhea, having caught the stomach bug my father had. When I flush the toilet, it backs up, stupid #!$@$%#@! federally-mandated low-flow 1.6 gallon/flush toilets! I plunger the toilet and crawl back to bed, feeling really lousy.

0645: I rush to the bathroom, just in time to throw up my guts in the toilet. Sadly, once wasn't enough. In quick succession, I threw up a second time. They say the third time is the charm, and I threw up a third time. Unfortunately, it wasn't the charm for me as I threw up a fourth time. Worse, what I threw up didn't look like food, the way it does when a cat or a dog throws up partially-digested stuff. It looked more like my previous bowel movement than any food I'd eaten recently.

I end up spending most of the morning and afternoon in bed, hoping I don't throw up more. It turns out that I left my parents having to wash overly dirty sheets as well.

Later that evening, I get home and try to connect to the internet -- only to find out that I've got a severe noise problem on the phone line. I can't connect to the Internet at all. Repeated calls to the phone company lead to my waiting two days to get the problem fixed. And I'm still not feeling so well, although at least I'm not vomiting and don't have diarrhea any more.

So how was your holiday?

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Originally posted by Fedya:[Warning: there's one section that some of you may not like reading.]

...I can't connect to the Internet at all.

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Originally posted by QuietOne:
Two sort of stand out when I was a lot younger.

I was about 12 and obviously didn't believe in Santa anymore. My parents and I went to Christmas Eve service. Came back and there is a brand new toboggan sitting under the tree. I was because I was with my folks. My mom finally told me that she was the last one out the door. My dad and I were in the car when she sneaked it in and put it under the tree.

The second one that stands out was the time I was sick and my brother was suffering with his back problems. Everyone else (our folks, his wife and son) went to Christmas Eve service. I sat in wooden rocker and rocked, he laid on the couch and we had a really great time just talking.

I have recently added to the "excitement" of gift opening. A couple years ago I was rummaging around upstairs and found a few things my son had left behind. So rather than just give them to him to take back, I wrapped them up and put them under the tree. (Along with his actual present, of course.) I did it again last year. Now that I have him psyched out wondering what it will be this year, I didn't pull it on him. My daughter is getting some of her stuff. She and her husband are getting gift cards and I didn't want the boxes to be too "light".

Of course our grandson has made the last three Christmases very special.

Antiworst - I'm 13 miles north! I'm on same farm I grew up on...and yes, not much money. One Christmas it was just a hand held mirror and brush set. (In school we used to have to go around and tell what we got. Ugh...those doctor's and dentist's kids!! )

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Originally posted by CHEEZE:
Is that mistletoe around your navel?

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Originally posted by FRZ:

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Originally posted by CHEEZE:
Is that mistletoe around your navel?

I don't know what's more disturbing.....That photo or the fact you are staring at his navel.