Just Like Christmas Eve

It feels like Christmas Eve tonight. We've each opened gifts, shoes for Chris and books for me (thanks John & Judy!). There are appetizers in the oven...a Kuckleburg family tradition, the only thing missing is oyster stew to make Chris feel like he backs in Springfield. I'm going to watch one of my favorite holiday movies, Love Actually, later tonight while Chris finishes reviewing a journal paper.

Tomorrow we fly to Barcelona and we return from Lisbon on New Year's Day. The forecast isn't quite as warm as I had hoped but it will be about 10-15 degrees warmer than here, so a bit better. Cold weather is hard to pack for when backpacks are your only form of luggage, as warm clothes are quite bulky. I think we'll end up needing to do laundry at some point during our 11 day trip. Planning and packing for this trip reminded me of why I love tours so much. Of course the biggest advantage is that they're the cheapest way to travel, but also they take much of the worry and stress out of traveling. Unfortunately we couldn't find a tour during the dates I have off work, so we have to do this trip on our own.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! We're very much looking forward to being home next year to celebrate with friends and family. One more Christmas card to share with you...yet another brussel sprout card, which I still find bizarre. We've received lots of cards this year, partially due to my participation in a UK-Yankee (Americans living in the UK) card exchange :)