62. December 24th, 2010 Picture.

Every Christmas Eve, Ratty's Aunt and Uncle host a party at their house where they serve lots of Chinese food and open presents - Chinese food is a must at any Christmas eve party, obviously.  This is the same Aunt and Uncle who host the awesome Lobster Bake at their summer house on Lake Winnipesaukee, remember?  This was my second year attending the festivities and I was pretty excited to enjoy some Christmas cheer.  Ratty and I were exchanging presents at the party, I'd bought his mom a Yankee Candle, his brother a case of his favorite beer, and made his dad some Red Velvet sandwich cookies, yes from SCRATCH! [post coming soon!].  Ratty was getting a brand new Project RED ipod, but he didn't know it yet.

 The tradition at this party is that Uncle Bill [I'm pretty sure everyone has an Uncle Bill], calls out each gift individually, and always says the gift is from Santa.  For example, he'll pick up a gift, yell out 'To Amy!  From Santa!' and then everyone will watch said person open said gift.  Ratty had been all secretive with my present, saying that he'd left it in the trunk and he'd run out and grab it later in the night: cue suspicions.  Even when Uncle Bill was calling out gifts left and right, Ratty had yet to make a move - hello priorities!  Don't pull the same stunt as last year when you didn't bring my gift and I waited until two weeks after Christmas to get it!  Granted it was a flat screen TV, so all animosity was forgotten, but still.  The waiting game was not cool.

To my surprise Uncle Bill called out my name and dragged over this enormous purple gift bag, like, massive.  I looked dumbfounded at the bag and equally as dumbfounded at Ratty.  He'd arranged for his mother to bring my gift to the party, so that whole thing about it being in my trunk was a total ruse.  Such a sneak!  

So my Christmas present from Ratty was, drumroll please..............

A KTICHENAID MIXER!  I almost lost my mind I was so excited.  A MIXER!  And it is JUST like the one Ina has, which makes me one step closer to being her best friend.  Ratty definitely won Christmas.  Yay presents!