OK ... I've been a bit of a blogging slacker over the Christmas holidays, but who wouldn't be with this group of crazy invading your sleepy little town for 10 days of non-stop celebrations? Picking people up at the airport in Seattle, snowboarding at Whistler, shopping in Vancouver, eagle-watching in Squamish, cutting down Christmas trees on logging roads outside of Squamish (I had a permit to do so, I'll have you know), bowling in Richmond, farting in church (I don't want to point fingers or anything CLAIRE) ... you name it, the Bartleman-Loscher-Harrison Crew had it covered with all sorts of crazy to spare.

The highlights of my first family Christmas as hostess:

• I got a 17.5 pound turkey and had the privilege of eating leftover bird, mayo and cranberry sandwiches for six days straight. That almost makes up for the last six years of missing out of Canadian Thanksgiving leftovers.

• I received a variety of closed-toed, slip on footwear (what I like to call "Winter Flip Flops"), including Aussie Uggs and Croc Mammoths which is almost as good as getting to eat turkey every day, because I find tying up shoes to be a tedious and time-consuming task. I could be there by now you know, if only I didn't have to lace up these boots and double knot them.

• I bowled a personal best 158, flattening the playing field and leading my team, The Evens, to a colossal victory over The Odds at the annual "Whoever's in Town on or around New Year's Eve Bartleman Bowling Tournament." No one needs to know about the second round where I bet my brother-in-law a chocolate bar that I would wipe the walls with him, and subsequently had my ego gift wrapped and handed to me on a platter. That didn't happen. For the record, The Evens still won against The Odds in the second round despite my lackluster performance. Obviously Dingo Dan's skills, even at their best, were not so brilliant as to be able to carry his team to victory. Unlike, say ... oh I don't know ... mine?

All in all it was as good a Christmas as ever, except better, because this time it wasn't me trying to figure out how I was going to get a china cabinet home on the airplane.