We received about 10 inches of snow today during a major blizzard that has wreaked havoc on the Eastern seaboard. Kyle came to work with me today so that I could drive him to Newburyport for a noon appearance at the District Court. Back in the spring, he received a speeding citation 10 days before his one-year driving anniversary making him subject to a suspension of his driving license. He elected to appear before a judge to request leniency in light of his perfect driving record before and since. When the state police officer who issued the ticket failed to arrive at the appointed time the judge informed Kyle it was his lucky day and found him not responsible (no fine, no points, no insurance increase). Kyle has had more than his share of bad luck so it was with no reservations that we embraced his good fortune.

Both boys are dating girls we really like and it is a pleasure to include them during our family outings. Today we enjoyed a mid-afternoon meal at the English Beer Pub in Westford. We decided on an early dinner in anticipation of the blizzard expected to hit our area this evening. The leisurely meal included several rounds of card games before and after the food arrived.

Two years running, Jeanine’s popovers have been an exercise in perfection. The family made short work of these breakfast treats before serious present opening commenced.

It was wonderful sharing the day with my mom and Susan. Their presence only enhanced our enjoyment of the holiday. Even Nala was in a festive mood.

We managed a rare family portrait including the front end of Nala before beginning to open presents.

We did stockings in reverse order this year (oldest to youngest). Maya waits patiently for her turn dressed in her new footed pajamas.

With guests for Christmas, there were too many stockings to hang by the fireplace so we pressed the sofa into service.

Our Christmas Eve tradition includes dining out at the Chang An Chinese restaurant. This year we are joined by Alan Budris and his three daughters (identical in age to our kids). His youngest, Sarinnagh, is Maya’s best friend. It was a delightful meal spent in the company of delightful people.

The Christmas service at our church ends with the congregation singing Silent Night by candlelight. We are joined this year by my mother and Jeanine’s sister, Susan.

Snow has arrived just in time for Christmas. The Old North Bridge is one of my favorite destinations for snowscapes. I made an early morning stop before a breakfast meeting at the Colonial Inn.

A tough battle for Nicolai this evening in his dual meet against Lincoln Sudbury. Although he wrestled quite well, he faced a superior opponent and lost 14-6. He fought hard till the end and did not give up any back points which is all that can be asked in this situation. His team fared no better losing by a significant margin. My mother and sister-in-law arrived today for the holidays and were in attendance.

Recognizing outstanding financial performance last year, the Home Robots division of iRobot celebrated with a catered lunch and gift raffle. This was but a warm-up for the annual holiday party which is held in late January. Every employee also received a very nice soft shell jacket with the company logo.

My boss treated the team to a magnificent dinner at the Capital Grille after an all-day, off-site, strategy planning session. The company has had an excellent year and as I look back on my decision to leave Sonos I feel very good about it. I have worked my tail off enjoying every minute of it and the results of my efforts are starting to show. Sonos continues to do extremely well and my investment there stands a good chance of paying handsome dividends.

Maya’s friends demonstrated great artistry in the decoration of their gingerbread houses which were nothing short of amazing. The girls managed to ingest a healthy dinner in between snacking on construction components and contemporaneous outbreaks of dancing.