For my family, there's a Christmas morning ritual each year, where we go to my mom's foster relatives to exchange gifts and socialize. It's also a potluck, so we usually take a big container of fried wontons that my dad cooks. It's actually something I look forward to during Christmas. I don't really know most of the people, but it's nice to be in a big family atmosphere and make small talk with friends of the family.

It's weird to think back on all the little kids, who were kids ten years ago, are now in late high school or early college. It's weird how time flies and yet the ritual remains the same. We socialize until 11:00 or so, eating the various foods and waiting for everyone to arrive. Then we pass out the presents which are immediately opened. Then some more socializing as people slowly leave to get on with the rest of Christmas day.

It's a good sized house, although with 30-40 people it does get a bit crowded. I generally stand or walk around, listening to the conversations and answering when talked to. But I'm not an accom- plished conversationalist so I don't tend to initiate small talk. Still, it's nice to find out what people have been doing the past year or two, even if I've already forgotten nine-tenths of what people told me.

Once we get home we open up the family presents. I'm really tired at this point since I stayed up late catching up on some Internet things and other to dos. With four hours of sleep, I'm only good for two or three hours and I had been awake for three hours. So as I dozed off, we opened the presents and everyone seemed happy. I got a computer backpack, and a nice one it is too, with plenty of space for books and other ancilliary items. Chris gave me a Martina McBride CD. Both the previous two I gave suggestions. Steph gave me a dolphin calendar and a tape on aircraft carriers. She knows me better so she doesn't have to get my input to get presents that I'll like.

After a couple hours napping, I woke up and organized a movie run to see Toy Story 2. It's tough to get my parents to go, although we got dad to go. Mom is too worried about the money we spend; if she doesn't enjoy the movie then it's money wasted. Oh well. It is a fine movie. They show Pixar's first computer animation short, which was done in 1986. I remember seeing it a couple of times since at the time it was a breakthrough in computer animation. As I said, Toy Story 2 is a great movie that we all liked -- I'll have to remember to watch Toy Story someday.

Once we got home we fixed my brother's computer. Now the modem and scanner work. Then we saw Bubble Gum Crisis: 2040, which Chris bought with his own money (I bought him some other Anime). A better story than the other Bubble Gum Crisis series, which is set in 2042. In this one we see the characters come together and the team form, which by 2042 everything is set. There's more characterization in the earlier series.

Ended the night by watching Mallrats with my brother. Nice movie and out of that, Chasing Amy, and Dogma, I think I like Mallrats the best since it's a relationship movie with a happy ending. Chasing Amy does not really have a happy ending and Dogma isn't a relationship movie. Maybe I'll try watching Clerks again.