When I was a kid Christmas was always a big occasion… All the family getting together, coming from wherever you are (and believe me, people would come from the 4 corners of the earth) and congregating at my Grandma’s place… Seeing loved ones, the delicious food, laugh, games grandpa giving us money (Christmas was the only time he would ACTUALLY VOLUNTARILY give us money without complaining or anything… as long as we were in a public place for all to see… yeah…).

All was good… Then my parents got divorced, we all grew up, got married and well… grandma passed away and now we all meet mostly on weddings, funerals, and few other social gatherings… And of course… Like each other’s Facebook statuses…

Christmas wasn’t the same since then…

Then Big Monkey was born and well… Magically Christmas time was bearable again… And I even smiled and got on the spirit of things! Seriously… I am not a toooooootal Grinch!!

Don’t take me wrong… I’m still me and still feel like hiding under the covers and wait until the “season to be jolly” is over so I can crawl out of my hidey-hole for one more year of Evil-Red-Wearing-Bearded-Clowns free time! Well… Yeah… Big Monkey says I am the Bearded Dude… but hey… never-mind…

I am such a Grumpy Old Man…

Anyway… For this year’s Gallery Christmass Special: a hairy, cuddly, cheeky Big Monkey’s Magic time in 2006…

Have a Happy Crimbo!