Come one, come all. It's a garage sale Christmas, ya'll.

This year we celebrated Christmas a little differently at my Grandpa's house. We had what my aunt called "hard times Christmas" and what Chad lovingly referred to as "Garage Sale Christmas". Everyone (around 45 people-including the children) brought something from home to give away "Chinese gift exchange" style. When it was time for the festivities to begin, all 45 of us packed into my Grandpa's living room and we drew our numbers. Grandpa was the first to choose a gift from under the tree. He chose a beautifully wrapped, red package - it was one that I brought. He opened it with a pretty unenthusiastic face, but once he saw what was inside his face lit up and he laughed.It was one of Jackson's old toys. What a sight! I could just see my Grandpa on a lazy day pounding those pegs into place. The gift exchange was off to a pretty funny start. My dad was one of the next to choose a gift.
If he were a 9 year old little girl, he would have loved the bright pink, Hannah Montana purse that he pulled from the box. The exchange continued, packages were opened and laughs were shared. Though, not too many laughs from the children who opened their packages to find XXL sized shirts, fondue sets, candle sticks and soccer cleats that were a few sizes too small. It's really sad to see a kiddo get so excited about opening a present then see their face fall when they come to realize they have no interest in what lies inside. Jackson lucked out, though. The present he chose just happened to be "Shark Tale" on DVD. We didn't have that one. Nice job Jackson!!
When it was my turn to choose, I just asked my aunt to hand me a package. I opened it with a bit of fear as to what I might find inside. I have to say it was...interesting. I pulled out a paper towel holder that I'm sure someone spent a lot of time on, but it really wasn't my style. It was painted white with flowers on the base and a bird house on top. I "accidentally" left it there when I was packing up to head home or I would have a picture to post for you. Oops!

My mom's turn came not too long after mine and she chose a real beauty. The pictures speaks for itself.
The "garage sale Christmas" was a lot of fun. Listening to everyone as they tried to sell their gifts to the person whose number was up was the best part. Oh, and don't worry about the kids. In the end, they ended up with something more to their liking than a fondue set.