1. Ramblings and Run-Ons (right back at ya, man!)
2. Me and The Blue Skies (Preston keeps me laughing!)
3. Ciara’s Ramblings and Whatnot
4. Clark Kent’s Lunchbox
5. Knee Deep In Kids
6. Jesus Has 2 Daddies
7. Mocha Dad
8. Surprised Mom
9. World of Weasels
10. Coupon Dad

All of the above add much needed information/entertainment/feelings of shared experiences to my blog-reading life. There are many more that I read on a semi-regular basis, it was obviously hard to narrow down the top 10!

OK, on to the keepsake…

In my post, ‘My Big Family Announcement’, I announced to my family and the world that we would be celebrating Christmas in July this year.

Well, as John Lennon brilliantly said, ‘Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.’ To quote another lyrical poet, Paul Simon, ‘Believing I had supernatural powers I slammed in to a brick wall.’

I tend to leap before I look. I get all excited and impulsive and generally pay for it later. Christmas in July sounded wonderful until I realized we are on a very tight budget and Calli’s birthday is the 31st, sooo we should probably save a little moolah for that. A kid only turns 3 once after all, Christmas comes every year.

But I already blogged about my July Christmas. All those nice people commented and told me it was a good idea! I was told to take pictures! How can I let down my adoring public?

I stewed on this for quite a while before I just abandoned the idea all together. That is until…

I still got my vacation, this is day two, FTW! So the wife wakes me up and asks, ‘What’s going on around here? Anything fun?’

‘I don’t know, let me get online and find out!’ I reply, in the back of my head there was still a voice: It’s Christmas! What are you doing about Christmas?

So I sat down at the computer, pulled up the site for the local paper, the Vail Daily, and what to my wondering eyes should appear this event:

God bless us, everyone! And God bless the Turntable Restaurant, they were serving turkey dinner with all the fixins for $9.96 a plate! After my Jacob Marley impression and picking my chin up off of the keyboard, I realized this could do it! Like a TV special, my Christmas had been saved! My day of laying around in my PJs opening presents and stuffing myself had been thwarted, but here was a local establishment who shared my sentiments!

On our way there this afternoon, we had some time to kill, so I followed the arrow under a picture of a picnic table to a park we’d never been to. The Eagle River runs along side it, there are trees that shade the entire playground, there is a small stage with a grassy slope for the audience surrounded by flowers. Visions of Shakespeare festivals danced in my head. This place was perfect!

When we did arrive at the Turntable, it was right up my alley. From the name you probably guessed, but it’s one of those nostalgia greasy spoon places that’s plastered with Elvis, Marilyn, Barbie, and the occasional Mickey Mouse. Add to that the cheesey light-up Santa with accompanying reindeer, and this was definitely Christmas! ;P

We entered, and a man with a Creole accent said, ‘HO HO HO! Welcome to Christmas in JUE-LIE!’

Santa had left a bag of candy for Calli, and Kat got in for a reduced kids’ price. ‘You look young, you mus’ jus’ be tall!’ The Creole man said.

The turkey was moist, the mashed potatoes weren’t lumpy, and I even was able to eat the candied yams (I try them every year, but I never like them). They had brownies and cookies for dessert.

I tell you, it was just what I needed: time with family, good food, and awful decor. After dinner, we went back to the river and Calli and I skipped stones (or made a great attempt!).

This was, without a doubt, the Best. Christmas. Ever.

I leave you with a copy of the flyer from the Turntable and a picture of Kat in what appears to be a futon-shaped rock in the river…

Merry Christmas!