Christmas morning came and we took turns opening packages Corey even dressed up in his Santa suit and gave his 92 year old Mamaw some extra gift for being a "good girl" this year.
For those of you cleaning your glasses, STOP. Mamaw is in fact holding a a giant BOOB. If you ever visit the Berman's, let me give you a piece of advice. Always check under your pillow before you go to bed and search your purse before going out. This BOOB is likely to show up at the most inconvenient and embarrassing moments. I wouldn't be surprised if it made it into our wedding ceremony if and when we ever get that planned.
Back to the gift giving. As a way to prevent everyone from going into debt, we opted to pull names from a hat. I had Corey's father, Rich. Since he had lost his, Life Is Good shirt that he ALWAYS wears, I thought it would be necessary to replace. Denise, having recently joined/created a crocheting group called Stitch and Bitch, made winter items such as hats and ear warmers. Corey had my mother. We had purchased a beautiful wind chime from a gift shop on a road trip up to the North East Kindom. The wind chime had a humming bird hanging on it. Knowing my mother and her interest in birds, we knew she would love it! Mom got her gift and began opening it. Attached to the ribbon, Corey had placed a scratch off ticket to the package. As all of us were consumed with our own gift opening, my Mom shouted out loud, "Who gave me this?" Everyone stopped. "Who gave me this? I won! I won!" Having experience with scratch of tickets I always read the small print because it never falls, I always misread the directions and lose. This was not that situation. She had completed the directions as stated. "I won ten thousand dollars! I won ten thousand dollars!" Now, I've always
wanted to know what I would do if I or someone I knew won the lottery. Eyes started to fill with tears. Tina ran out to tell Jarrett, Corey's brother. My mother was ecstatic thinking about how she would use the money to pay off bills and student loans. It WAS a Christmas miracle! In the midst of all the excitement, Rich, Corey's Dad had secretly exited out of the room. There's a saying many teachers use when understanding students and parents. It goes like this, THE APPLE NEVER FALL FAR FROM THE TREE. You see, Corey is a product of his father which means among all the ruckus, Rich knew what was about to unfold in the next two minutes. Corey asked my mother, "Where are you suppose to take the ticket to be redeemed?" My mother frantically searched for the instructions on the back and read aloud, "If a winner please take to your ticket to the closest LOTTERY FAIRY to collect your winnings." The room went silent. It was a FAKE! A GAG! You could here the crickets chirping. That is, until my father let out one of the loudest laughs I've ever heard. My mother gave Corey a sarcastically playful glare and announced, "You are going to pay!" It was by far one of the greatest pranks I've ever witnessed. We all laughed, and Rich eventually found the courage to make it back into the room, shaking his head in shame. Corey spent of the rest of the day feeling a little bit guilty. My mother, while I'm sure would have loved winning ten thousand dollars, enjoyed the joke and DIDN'T kill Corey in his sleep. The rest of the weekend was spent learning how to crochet, playing with the pups, and simply enjoying the company of good friends and family. It was a Christmas to remember.
wanted to know what I would do if I or someone I knew won the lottery. Eyes started to fill with tears. Tina ran out to tell Jarrett, Corey's brother. My mother was ecstatic thinking about how she would use the money to pay off bills and student loans. It WAS a Christmas miracle! In the midst of all the excitement, Rich, Corey's Dad had secretly exited out of the room. There's a saying many teachers use when understanding students and parents. It goes like this, THE APPLE NEVER FALL FAR FROM THE TREE. You see, Corey is a product of his father which means among all the ruckus, Rich knew what was about to unfold in the next two minutes. Corey asked my mother, "Where are you suppose to take the ticket to be redeemed?" My mother frantically searched for the instructions on the back and read aloud, "If a winner please take to your ticket to the closest LOTTERY FAIRY to collect your winnings." The room went silent. It was a FAKE! A GAG! You could here the crickets chirping. That is, until my father let out one of the loudest laughs I've ever heard. My mother gave Corey a sarcastically playful glare and announced, "You are going to pay!" It was by far one of the greatest pranks I've ever witnessed. We all laughed, and Rich eventually found the courage to make it back into the room, shaking his head in shame. Corey spent of the rest of the day feeling a little bit guilty. My mother, while I'm sure would have loved winning ten thousand dollars, enjoyed the joke and DIDN'T kill Corey in his sleep. The rest of the weekend was spent learning how to crochet, playing with the pups, and simply enjoying the company of good friends and family. It was a Christmas to remember. 
Hope you all had a holiday season was filled with many laughs and may your New Year's be filled with ACTUAL prosperity! Love & Peace!
P.S. My sister hand carved the zen garden out of a fallen tree log and filled with with sand.
