Orneriness and Candlelight Carol Sings

You'll see that it's hereditary.

arm wrestling with my father at Thanksgiving Dinner circa 2008.

We're an obnoxious crew.  I get ten times worse as soon as I get home. Trust me - being home is perfect fodder for therapy.

We all went to the Candlelight Carol Sing on Sunday eve [I'm only using the word "eve" because I feel like that's something you have to do on the holidays. amIrite?]

We go every year, and it's something to which I look forward. However, I feel like my family gets snarkier every year, or perhaps the Sing just becomes increasingly formulaic...

Each year:

The church's most beautiful family, with all 7 children, sings a perfectly tuned Christmas melody.

I always snicker when I imagine my family trying to sing a song on stage in harmony.

An adorable four-year-old comes on stage and sings a really weird and endearing version of "Happy Birthday, Jesus."
Exploiting child cuteness for mass appeal? Check.

Dad falls asleep.

Try throwing something at him.

The sixty-year-old pastor's wife with crazy insane vibrato sings a song that lasts for approximately forever 

minutes.

My family has perfected a synchronized eye roll when she walks onto the stage.

Then I begin praying for forgiveness on behalf of my whole family.

Mom and my little sister get into a pinching war.

I whisper-yell at them to hush.

A high-schooler solos in the next song with the adult choir.

She sings extra loudly, drowning out the entire adult choir and inhaling a bit of microphone with every note.

We sing Christmas Carols.

We light our candles.

Everyone [and by everyone, I just mean the members of my family] makes an obligatory "don't burn the hair of the person in front of you" joke.

Is that obligatory or just something weird my family does?

The best part of the whole night is blowing out the candle and playing with the wax.

My sister blows my candle out when I'm not looking.

Night. Ruined.

We then spend the rest of the evening re-running our commentary from the Candlelight Carol Sing. 

We may just be the slightest bit ornery.

How are the holidays with your family? What obnoxious traditions herald the holidays in your crazy house?

Thanksgiving: Who Did it Better?

This post is incrediLate, my apologies!
Like Who Wore it Best, only where Wore = Did and Best = Awkwardest.

My Bible study gals and I were sharing our Thanksgiving plans, and we all came to the conclusion that our plans are all very...atypical.

In the name of friendly competition, we texted one another the most bizarre and interesting photos from our Thanksgiving breaks to see whose T-Day was weirdest.

Awkward Thanksgiving 2011

Pressly:
Pressly had a ginormous family reunion at her aunt's cousin's second stepsister's amazing house, or something like that. Here she is peeking out from one of many secret passageways in the house. Cute, no?

 Ashley:

Ashley and her speed demon Granny went cruising around the lake in a golf cart. Fairly typical Thanksgiving activities, if you ask me...

 bRob: 

My Grandma and I went to the Alabama Theatre for a Christmas holiday music special. Alabama - the nineties country music band.

 Eryn:
Eryn very bitterly reported that her family had Thanksgiving at a golf course in lieu of a home-cooked meal. Though she didn't get any pictures of this joyous affair, she and her  sister snapped this shot of what Eryn calls her "demon eyes."

 Jenee:
Jenee ate a Cracker Barrel Thanksgiving dinner and followed it up with the latest Twilight.
Full disclosure: This Thanksgiving sounds like it would have been a lot of fun.

What do you think?
Who had the most bizarre Thanksgiving?

-bRob