Christmas in Pontotoc

November 29, 2008---Your eyes are not deceiving you---the date is correct---we had Christmas in Pontotoc in November. It was the only time everyone's schedule allowed us to get together. We left North Carolina the Friday after Thanksgiving and drove to Pontotoc. Thanks to Rick's blackberry and updates from Brady, Kevin, and Ryan we were able to keep up with the Ole Miss vs. State football game. Obviously, by now everyone knows that the Rebs kicked some Bulldog booty!!! It rained the entire 10 hour drive to P-town. It was the first all of us had been back since we moved. We crashed at Grandmother and Granddaddy's house then woke up bright and early Saturday morning to start cooking.

My immediate family always comes to my parents' house for Christmas. By "immediate family" I mean my parents, my brother and his family, his two best friends, Jerry and Sam, and their families, my cousin Jessie and her family, and my cousins Emily, Nicole, Laken, Tyler, and Mackinsey. We have had a variety of Christmas meals over the years. We tried the traditional ham, dressing, and all the sides. We wanted to make it more simple so we tried cooking a huge breakfast with just about every breakfast food you can imagine. That was okay. For the past three or four years we've had a buffet of indoor "tailgating" type foods: soups, chili, appetizers, chips and dips, and at least five different desserts. This option has worked well for us. Everyone brings a dish or two or four, a drink, and a hearty appetite.

The 18 year olds and under exchanged gifts and then everyone just did whatever. It was a nice day so the kids were able to play outside. The adults just chatted and watched some football. It was good to see everyone. We drive back to Madison Saturday afternoon. We were exhausted after our six-days of travels and had to get home to ready ourselves for the upcoming week.