[caption id="attachment_4119" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="pneumonia"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-4119" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=4119"><img class="size-large wp-image-4119 " title="Handmade Christmas Gift " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_6861-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

Christmas wasn't what I expected this year. First I missed my flight. Then I got sick.  But it was also wonderfully unexpected.

[caption id="attachment_4120" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="Family Picture "]<a rel="attachment wp-att-4120" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=4120"><img class="size-large wp-image-4120 " title="Family Picture " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_6882-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

I got to open gifts with my brother and his girl friend who were actually celebrating Christmas with her family in the Midwest on the actual day. Rather than a big turkey Christmas dinner, we had clam chowder and curried lentil soup and plenty of family Christmas cookies.

[caption id="attachment_4121" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="Ornaments"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-4121" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=4121"><img class="size-large wp-image-4121 " title="Ornaments" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_6891-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

Santa didn't come this year and there wasn't a single candy cane to be found in our house but I guess these things happen. I also ended up with a case of pneumonia.

Still Christmas was pretty great. It was nice to see my aunts and uncles. I loved seeing the looks on everyone's faces as they opened their gifts. I couldn't get enough of all of the holiday jokes and teasing.  It was also pretty great to sample all of the different cookies that my mom, my aunt, my sister and my bother's girlfriend made. Yum. Yum.