Christmas...Round One

We kicked off the Christmas season with our annual "white elephant" game at MawMaw and Grandad's house.  In case you're not familiar with the rules of white elephant, here's a brief description:

we each bring a $10 gift.

we draw numbers to see who chooses the first gift.

the next person can either choose a gift or "steal" from someone else

once a gift has been "stolen" three times it is frozen and can no longer be stolen by anyone else.

I know there are a couple of different ways to play this game, but this is how we play it at the Johnson Family Christmas Party....

Some gifts are halfway decent, and others.....not so much!

Some family members (who shall remain nameless) have taken to omitting their name on their own gift for fear that it will not be chosen if the recipient knows who it is coming from!

My dad gets a sick amount of joy from this game....

He was lucky enough to have his own brother choose his gift this year! 

You can tell by my mom's face that she knows what's coming

First, we have a  stack of gift cards (some are expired and the rest have anywhere from .50 to $1 on them)...

...and then we have the shirt....

"It's all fun and games until someone loses a wiener" (yes, this a direct quote from the shirt)

I am appalled (but sadly, not surprised) and so thankful that I didn't get stuck with this gift...and even more thankful that Jeffrey didn't either since he would have probably worn it home...

oh yeah, did I mention that my dad is OVER 50 and is a DEACON at church?!?! 

His own mother is beyond shocked!

And for those of you that were wondering why my dad had to have surgery and how he hurt his back/neck...

maybe this picture will clear things up for you...

sorry for the poor quality (it's a picture of a picture....it was actually a GIFT for someone at this glorious white elephant exchange and since I was not the lucky winner of this priceless gift, I just had to take a picture of it)

In case you can't tell, it is a picture of my dad TOTALLY cuttin' a rug out on the dance floor at my cousin Jenny's wedding this past summer. (and yes, those are all my other family members circled around him cheering him on and/or laughing uncontrollably).

Here is my dad today:

Don't feel too sorry for him, the pitiful face is just for show (he's a bit of an attention seeker).  The "collar" around his neck is real, but he's still deciding if he's going to let people sign it or not.  I'll let you know.

 *Disclaimer...he didn't really break anything while dancing...except maybe a few hearts - ha!*

Libbi was a real hit at the Christmas Party.  She enjoyed her first and last year of being "the baby" at MawMaw 's.  Next year, she'll have some company!  Libbi spent most of her time just playing chewing on the stuffed animal that she got from MawMaw and Grandad.

I have a strange feeling that she won't be so calm next Christmas....

We tried to take a family picture, but Libbi wasn't too into it.  Why do babies have a sixth sense when it comes to cameras?!  Or maybe it's just my baby....as soon as there is a camera near by, she is either crying or covering her face.  As soon as the camera is out of sight, she's all smiles.  Oh well, maybe one day we'll get a family picture where she is looking at the  camera....

After all the gifts were opened, all the food was eaten, and all the Merry Christmas-es were given, we packed up and headed home.  Oh yeah, in case you were wondering...Jeffrey received some chick-fil-a gift cards (which he STOLE from ME!!....more on this later) and I was given a $10 target gift card.  MawMaw and Grandad also gave a donation to a local charity in honor of all their grandchildren!  So sweet!

Merry Christmas!