How We Spent Our Christmas

You may already have seen the picture of Marty's Lincoln Log fort. But here's how the story really turned out. It became a heavily fortified stronghold with army guys shooting in every direction. (Note the casualty in the background on the floor.)

After we finished with the war games, we went to see The Lord of the Rings. Oh my goodness. What a movie. I can't wait to read the book and see it again. The acting was great and everyone seemed so well-cast. The production values were extremely high. And the heroes... Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas... it's simply impossible to pick a favorite. I wasn't one of those kids who grew up reading LOTR, but I read the entire trilogy -- once -- several years ago (in college). I have to admit, I couldn't remember that much about the story before we went to the movie yesterday. But that didn't matter at all. It makes plenty of sense on its own.

Still, I am looking forward to seeing it again.

Lest it seem that our Christmas was merely a day for celebrating violence in toys and movies, let me say that probably the best part of all was yesterday evening, after dinner, when we enjoyed a fire in the fireplace and worked on a puzzle together while listening to music. A nice way to end a nice day. And very peaceful.

P.S. Welcome back, Blogger!