Highlights of the Contino Family Christmas Reunion – Dec 22-29, 2005

Here are some of the highlights I remember from our wonderful family reunion.  Thanks to all my beloved family members for helping create memories we will always treasure:  Feel free to add your own memories to the list. 

• Carol, Bob, John, Tom and Jen sing a song Carol wrote for baby Abigail Joy Mann, “Abby Mann” to the tune of “Barbara Ann” for Abby on Christmas.  She was thrilled.
• Contino siblings singing Christmas carols together.
• Uncle Bub’s very own Candy Cane Lane in the Mester backyard.
• Natalie repeatedly activating the Christmas carol singers in the Mester Living room.  She loved hearing them sing “Silent Night”.
• Ben giving Aunt Kiki an awesome backrub.
• Nick entertaining us all with his jokes and stories.
• Natalie, in record time, winning Uncle Bub’s heart and first place on his lap.
• Peev yelling “Where you at” thus heralding his arrival on the Mester threshold.
• All the delicious foods we ate; lasagna, ham, English Pea Salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, soups, sweet potato pie, carmel apple pie, Mom’s chocolate chip cake, Food of the Gods by Gingle.
• Baby Abby surrounded by Christmas wrap on the Mester living room floor.
• The human cousins pyramid consisting of Jeremy, Jen, Paul on the first row; Nick and Ben on the 2^nd row, and Natalie on the top!
• Bub and Kiki smooching under the mistletoe in their backyard one night.  Bobby caught it on film.
• Jeremy wrestling with Ben and Natalie and tickling them.  Denise rescuing Natalie from the clutches of “The Tickle Monster”.  Natalie calling Jeremy “Evilness”.
• Annie surrounded by Christmas presents.  This year she got all the “good stuff” and all we got was“junk”!!!
• Carol yelling her ritualistic call, “For crying out loud, let’s open the gifts”!!
• The girls in their matching powder blue snowflake turtlenecks
• Natalie in her Princess Gown charming us all with her feminine wiles.
• Sir Nicholas and Sir Benjamin playing with their Knights of the Kingdom
• Paul, Nick and Ben playing so well together.  Not once did they fight!
• The grueling, 6-1/2 hour drive up to Tahoe in traffic and snow.  Not once did we need chains!
• The 8-foot snowman that Jeremy and the cousins built by our condo at Lake Tahoe
• The Scattergories, Balderdash and Mind-Boggling Boggle games.  I could never win.
• The hilarious Mark Lawry DVD’s.  It was all worth it just to hear Johnnie’s gut-wrenching laugh!
• Jeremy spinning and doing donuts in the Hummer at Squaw Valley’s snowy parking lot.
• The snowball fights.  Nick smacked me in the jaw with one!  You’re gonna get it!
• The awesome, awful waffles that Spissy (Pete) made.  Belgian with blueberries and lots of whipped cream.  Yummy!
• The pretty puny pancake and sausage sandwiches and elegant egg McMuffins that Johnnie made.  Scrumpdillyumptuous!
• The fiery, power-packed sermon of Brother Nickademo!  (Prai da Lawd!)
• Kristin and Karen on a grocery shopping spree in Safeway at 11:00 at night! 
• All our crazy communications on the walkie talkies while driving to and from Tahoe.
• Laura’s and Emily’s sweet spirits in spite of suffering a great loss just a few months ago.
• Jonathan encouraging Karen to sit down and relax.
• Our dinner meal at Mickey D’s our last night at Tahoe (the one that made Krissy and Bub sick later).
• Carol’s homemade corn muffins and French bread.
• Misty basking in the attention of 17 relatives and friends
• Pete being the hero of the day when he saved Misty from the jaws of a snarling black Labrador.  You go Spiss!  You gave that dog a run for his money!  He won’t ever mess with you or Misty again!
• Baby Bro. Johnnie giving big Sis Karen a training session on Powerpoint (and a child shall lead them…).

Krissy says:

• Finding Christmas all aglow in a certain home on Chipman Lane
• Karen’s Italian Kitchen complete with Lasagna
• A wrought iron clock at the Mesters
• Starbucks Mint Mocha’s leaving Milwaukee (Gift Card), Suisun City (In bottles at Raley’s Parking Lot), Lake Tahoe, and Atlanta (Delta Food Voucher)
• Natalie and Grammatino having a mini tea party at the Mesters and again at the condo, complete with princess dress and prayers.
• Dolly Ann napping on Grammatino’s bed
• Grammatino and Natalie napping at opposite ends of the bed
• Natalie napping on Bub’s lap
• Visiting my Uncle Dave Reece’s Turlock, California Home
• A wrought iron clock at the Reeces
• Laura and Emily baking Chocolate Chip cookies
• Riding the Mule through the Almond Trees and Vineyards
• Remembering Auntie Jenny’s Hospitality and Humor
• Laura’s Fabulous Dinner for 12
• White Tulips
• “Is This Your Chicken” Towel Gag
• The Connell’s Greco-Roman Castle
• A frosted Victorian Christmas Tree
• A wrought iron clock at the Connells
• Drummer Boy Paulie’s drums, at last! A Rumpa Pum Pum
• Carol’s Crooning “AB AB AB, AB Abby Mann . . .” “Pass her to the Uncles, Pass her to the Aunts,  Pass her to her Mom . . . When she poops her pants! Abby Ma-ah-ahnn”
• Jennifer’s picture perfect poses and crossed eyes
• Peter with the Kingdom’s golden key(s?)
• Red lights coming out of ears, mouth, and nowhere
• Nicademo . . . admonishing the acronym THANKS . . .
  • Tithes . . .
  • Haveta’ Pay Your Tithes
  • Always Pay Your Tithes
  • Never Forget to Pay Your Tithes
  • Keep Paying Your Tithes
  • Sho’ Nuf Pay Your Tithes
• Reading the Christmas story with the Connells and Uncle Bob
• Diving into the Christmas Gifts
• Plumbing Problems
• Gathering into the warmth of the Mester’s family room for the infamous “sacrificial lamb” . . .  which truly was a total treat that I can’t imagine ever missing again.
• Tommy in his new exercise suit . . . don’t exercise it too much!
• Chris and Annie  and Abby showing up sooner than we dared hope
• Burying Annie in piles of gifts
• Everyone diving in and opening their gifts all at once
• Tommy pulling out the Christmas Song List . . . and everyone hollering out their requests
• Nicky says, “Thank you for all my presents!  How did everyone know that I wanted Hot Wheels, Knights of the Kingdom and Backyard Baseball?”
• Benny says, “I’m coming back next year . . . so remember to get me gifts!” Wink wink, at Jessica.
• Avalon to Highlander to Sienna to HUMMERbird
• Trading Natalie for Paulie for the trip
• Listening to Focus on the Family “A Christmas Carol” “Back to Bethlehem” and “Aloha” on the forever journey up to Tahoe.
• The Winter Wonderland of Lake Tahoe
• Sleeping 17 in a Condo for 12  . . . and still wishing we had to find a place to squeeze in the Manns and Bob and Tom
• Fitting Ben up in the crawl space above the balcony
• Closing the Safeway with Karen and Mike
• Drinks “chilling” on the condo balcony.
• A huge snow heart with the initials  J.C.+K.C.
• Everyone opening their hearts to Laura and Emily Reece
• The Three November 1991 Babes . . . Jennifer, Tiffany and Emily
• The Three GQ Musketeers . . . Paul, Nick & Ben . . .taking stud shots
• Olympic Games of Balderdash, Boggle, Skipbo, Scattergories and Visual Eyes Fast Play (Ben still is arguing that Nick’s “There are Trees in the City” is 6 words and should not count!)
• The blowing snow the kids all tried to endure up in the mountains . . . just to try to sled/snowboard.
• Johnny jumping off a huge rock into a pile of snow  . . . again . . . and again . . . and again . . . the snowflakes that stay on his nose and eyelashes.
• Jeremy gliding in and out on his snowboard without knocking down any people standing on the hill.
• An out-of-control black boy . . . knocking down people standing on the hill.
• Johnny tossing snowballs at the condo . . . just trying to pick a fight!
• Tupperware bowls full of snow for the girls!
• “Aunt Kiki’s Awesome Cooking!”  (Nicky is trying to get away with smacking you with a snowball!)
• Ben says, “Thanks Paulie, for smacking my Mom with a snowball!  She never lets us hit above the waist..”  Hmmmm . . . Nicky is going to get a beatin for hitting Auntie Kiki!
• “Boys . . . you better look out for Aunt Kiki and Aunt Krissy next time it snows!”
• Visine-Pete “Gets the Red Out”
• Getting the Fire started without the starter . . . and wondering if we should put it out . . . before Mike came back with the starter!
• Karen successfully hides the potato casserole that “never really cooked at those altitudes” in her delicious Potato Soup
• M&M’s and Mint Kisses in the Potato Soup . . . thanks JJ!
• Laura and Emily treat everyone to honey-butter dipped pretzels
• Shopping for my brother, Kurt’s, Christmas carabineer and a lost coffee shop in the Olympic village.
• Joining in the village snowball fight.
• Gathering around the huge Christmas tree for a snowy picture.
• Look at the Lights
• Carol and Pete “BOGGLE”ing my mind
• Gourmet Breakfast in front of a flame of fire at the Blue Onion
• My Mom (Kristin) trying to take pictures out of the moving Highlander as we were leaving Lake Tahoe . . . Natalie crying, “Don’t drop the camera, Mom!”
• The rain finally stopped long enough for us to enjoy Mike’s impressive light display without shorting out.
• Annie and Abby drop by for more spoiling
• Jeremy returns from taking JJ home . . . Natalie jumps up saying “Denise is Here!” But alas, she wasn’t.
• Karen’s perfect hard boiled eggs and packing us a picnic for the flight
• Mike’s “Get Out and Don’t Come Back” Threat
• Grammatino tucking more surprises in the kid’s backpacks
• Wishing the reunion didn’t have to end
• Are these all the Highlights?  “I Just Don’t Know!”