Christmas With Our Family

Saturday December 21, 1991

Our big day! Christmas with our family. Frank leaves to pick up his folks at 10 a.m. I fix breakfast for Chris, Ric, Justin & Mom. I'm pretty much ready when Phil arives with the kids at 12 noon. Everyone is here by 2:30, all 21. I serve hors d' oerves. We eat all day. We let all the boys open their radio control cars from us. They love them and have a ball.

Phil has come without Deb so breaks the news to all that they are near separating. The folks are upset.

We have a great dinner of pizza, lasagna, spaghetti, shrimp, salad, etc. after opening all our gifts. Marty and Kathy come by to eat about 7 p.m. and everyone stays til 11 p.m.

It was a wonderful day. Frank and I get to bed about 1:15 after cleaning up.

Our family wasn't exactly like the Norman Rockwell painting above, but more like a modern-day version of two merged families with stepchildren. Too bad Debby and Phil couldn't hold it together for a few more days just to get through the holidays, if only for the sake of their two young children, Joey and Sarah.

Nothing made Mom and Frank happier than having their blended family all together, Frank's 3 children Phil, Paul & Delores, with their kids, and Mom's children Gary and me with our kids. They loved to entertain even though it meant a long exhausting day and not getting to bed until after 1 a.m.