Christmas + Eyebrows + Mustaches = Christmabrowstaches

Emmy's first real Christmas opening and enjoying gifts. I've never seen happier grandparents. But then again, I really don't hang around that many. A very good time had by all, especially Emmy's cousin Jason who is a gift opening expert who enjoys helping whenever and whoever possible.

And you know what? If the cousins end up in a headlock once in a while, no problem! "Aaaayyy, ohhh, oh aaayyy" says the Tony Danza voice, "We're family."

And really, what is Christmas without extra body hair, be it unibrows or baby 'staches?

Bushy brows will be all the rage in 2011, mark my words.

We are very grateful for the love of family and friends. We have so much to be thankful for and we feel very blessed. Thank you for your support and for your well wishes and for sharing your thoughts when you read the blob. It's really a gift to be going through this journey with friends near and far. It makes the world a smaller and kinder place and for that we give you our sincerest appreciation.

We wish you a new year filled with love, happiness and health. Happy Potatohead!*

*Term coined by a precious little girl named Sophie. Her story will air tonight at 11PM on NBC Bay Area. She is a gem and her family is incredible. They will remind you what truly matters in life. They did that for me and much more. 

In High Spirits

Happy Holidays to you! Wishing you and your family a wonderful season and a 2011 filled with happiness and health.

Can you believe we got this shot on the third try? The Good Doctor closed his eyes on the first two jumps.

Amazing photo captured by our friend Kiet Do. 

Outtakes and behind the scenes commentary to follow. Sadly Tofu and Romeo didn't make the final version. They just couldn't get any decent air.

Christmas Cards

Yes. They're still up. Can't bear to take them off the side of the pantry just yet. This year we almost didn't send cards. Why? Because I'm a douche and thought it would be "green" and "charming" to send an e-card with Emmy's picture. But The Good Doctor slapped some sense into me and was like, "WTD? It's Emmy's FIRST Christmas. We are not sending out lame ass e-cards." And after some procrastination, we made our own semi-ghetto cards via Kodak Gallery and Target. I say semi-ghetto because they're rather plain and generic and not hand crafted works of art. But we managed to get them sent out all old-fashioned and snail mail so The Good Doctor can claim a point for that one.

I've been converted. As wasteful and excessive as Christmas can be, one tradition we'll hang onto, besides Christmustaches, is exchanging cards. Especially with Emmy, so much happens in a year and it's nice to share some of it. And I LOVED getting everyone's cards, and the handwritten notes or newsletter updates. Plus it's instant holiday decor without any assembly required. 

But my friend Mary recently tweeted about Paperless Post. They make gorgeous e-cards. Not sure if they will ever replace that "Dude, I got mail that's not a Pennysaver packet" factor of going to your mailbox and finding that actual invitation or card. But they are very ecological, which, as we NBC workers know, is very valued at our GE owned company. We'll see if it's also a Comcastic value when they take over in about a year...Ho Ho Ho.

Christmas + Mustaches = Christmustaches!

Say it out loud. Christmustaches! Doesn't it have a charming quality to it? Such a perfect marriage of two words. And yet so strangely weird and beautiful at the same time. Kind of like a certain marriage between certain people I can think of.

So how did Chrismustaches come to be on Emmy's FIRST CHRISTMAS?

We were at Paper Source, my current favorite store in the whole world, past favorites include BCBG Max Azria for my skinnier carefree days, Banana Republic, Macys, Nordstrom, Express, and See's Candies, try the pineapple truffle, HEAVEN.

So as we stroll through the shop that I wish I owned and could live in a little cottage above making fresh blueberry muffins each morning and skipping down the stairs with Romeo + Tofu and maybe Coco if she promises not to pee on my floors because she's such a territorial bitch, The Good Doctor spots these mustaches. 7 different 'staches, because you need one for each day of the week, of course. And since he can't grow one, and I pluck mine, and Emmy's too young for waxing, The Good Doctor thinks it would be a fun gift for my little cousins. And maybe they'll let us wear them when they're done. I'm sold. Into the stroller goes the package.

Just as we're checking out, he has a flash of PURE GENIUS. Let's get another package of 'staches. And we can give them out as little welcome favors for his family and my family when they come over Christmas day. Don't ask me why I thought it was PURE GENIUS but it turned out to be PURE GENIUS.

We distributed them at some point during the festivities and totally relaxed the mood. Not that it wasn't relaxed, what with The Good Doctor in the backyard monitoring the deep fried turkey that we were frying for the FIRST TIME with NO thermometer because we bought the last turkey fryer at Target and it was suspiciously triple taped and we now realize why. BECAUSE THE THERMOMETER WAS BROKEN! The instrument with which you measure the dangerously hot vat of oil so that it doesn't become even more deadly when you lower the turkey into it. So we had to wing it. The Good Doctor had already lost hours of sleep waking up in cold sweats days before Christmas, thinking thinking thinking of all the things that had to be done to successfully fry a turkey without torching our lovely rental home. Or burning his face off.

So while he was out there praying to the Church of Deep Fried Turkey that we wouldn't have to feed everyone the back up dish--a very traditional Christmas chow mein or Christmein in the spirit of this post--I was inside semi-homemaking the rest of our semi-homemade meal for his parents and brother, and my aunt, uncle and two little cousins. And my parents.

It's not like everyone doesn't know everyone, but let's be honest, there is a bit of a cultural difference and when you layer that on top of the typical awkwardness of a dual family get-together, it's not like it was a raging fun party. The Asians sort of stuck to the kitchen and the Whites sort of mingled amongst themselves politely.

But the Christmustaches marked a turning point. They were a game-changer. You could not NOT laugh with The Good Doctor's brother and dad layering their Christmustaches on top of their current mustaches, and his mom looking like Sonny Bono, and my cousin Jessica looking like Charlie Chan, and Emmy looking like a baby trying to lick a furry gray caterpillar on her upper lip.

And my parents looking oddly normal with their Christmustaches as Emmy gave them her classic, "And who the hell are you?" look that she fondly gives to everyone who is not Mommy, Daddy, or Asian Grandma. Do I think everyone should run out and buy a pack of 'staches for Christmas? Yes. Yes I do. It makes for a very merry Christmustache!

We Elfed It Up Again. Singing Version.

OK OK, last one! Although I did make more. It's highly addictive. 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

P.S. These expire in January so if you have been waiting to make one, do it now!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards