Christmas 2005 at Mark and Carolyn's!

Buried in the woods of Massachusetts, the Petersens had a quiet, lovely Christmas. We're posting these pics so that all of you who sent gifts can see us open them (how narcissistic, eh?). We thank everyone who remembered us and hope you had a lovely holiday, too!

Our Little Tree and the Array of Gifts.

We haven't been able to keep a full-sized tree up for very long ever since we got Laz. (He's our feisty male cat who can take a Christmas tree down in about two minutes flat!) So, we have a cute little fiber-optics tree and we put our gifts around it.

Laz Explores a Box

This is Laz, ever-curious, and destroyer of Christmas trees. He's checking out the box our fiber-optics tree came in. He thinks it's a place to play. He thinks all boxes are great places to hide and play! Luckily, he didn't tear down our tree more than twice this time.

Bookmarks from Mom and Dad Collins

Mom and Dad sent Carolyn a pair of jeweled bookmarks. Very pretty! She's got a few books to catch up on now that her travels are over for the year. (Although she starts up again on the 2nd of January.)

Target Card from Mom and Dad Collins

Mark is already thinking of what he can get at Target with this handy-dandy gift card! The after-Christmas sales beckon! But, he'll probably wait until the crowds thin out a bit. You know how it is the day after Christmas...

Laura Ashley Lotions from Mom Petersen

Carolyn is something of a seeker when it comes to body lotions, so these will come in handy!

Musical Potholders

These are going to do nicely as coasters for glasses on our pine tables. Many thanks to Mom Petersen!

Mark and a Desk Set from His Mom

It holds business cards, pens, the works!

Fruitcake from Sister Maggie

It almost sounds like the title of a whack Christmas movie. But no! It's Maggie's "not quite a fruitcake" fruitcake. Tasty, too! We've already tested it out and pronounced it most wonderful.

A Cute Little Tuba and Holder from Mom Petersen

Since Mark is a tuba player, he comes in for little tuba-esque Christmas presents every year. This one came from Mom Petersen, complete with a little display holder! Laz has already decided it's a great toy, so we've put it where he can't reach it. (We hope!)

Mark Gets the World

Carolyn found these wonderfully cool glass globes made of Mt. St. Helen's ash. This one has the world embedded in clear glass. Since Mark likes these kinds of objets d'art, she had one specially delivered from the makers in Washington State for Mark's Christmas present. He loved it! (For those of you wondering what Mark got Carolyn, there's a new stereo in her office, some connectors for it, and some lovely music! He's so sweet!)

Musical Gifts Abound!

Jill Petersen sent us some very cool musical-themed pillows and martini glasses! The pillows are already on the sofa and the glasses are awaiting their first use!

Jody Sends Garlic Bread

You bake this garlic bread in a flower pot. Sounds interesting, and we'll have it this week with our spaghetti. Nephew Anthony also sent a musical tin of sugar cookies, which we've enjoyed greatly!

Pixel and the Toys

Every year we get a collection of cat toys for the furries. This year Pixel took after one of the noisy chase balls in the package. We caught her as she was contemplating attcking another toy!

Just a few glances at our Christmas Day! We also had a very nice turkey dinner, and afterward sat on our front porch, where the temps weren't TOO chilly! Our thoughts are with you all and again, thanks for all the kind gifts! We hope you enjoyed a few of the pictures from our day.