Golden Touch CRAPS

The week before Christmas we have our family Christmas party. This assures there are no conflicting family parties and visits with anyone else's side of the family; those irritating "others" who hold their Christmas parties on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. All the relatives (in good standing) come to our house for the party.

Now, I wanted to do something special for the grandkids.

For the past couple of weeks I have used my wonderful belly as a character in skype calls: there was the talking belly-man, then there was dracu-belly, the talking vampire belly, and next week I will be Santa-belly. We draw a face on my belly and it talks to the kids who are 5 and 3. They enjoy it and my son Greg, their father, is taking pictures of the various belly men for a photo album (NOT to be seen by any of you, so don't even ask!).

But what could I do to make their visit to Grandpa-Scobe's house memorable? Then I got it!

I have a hallway that leads from the living room to the bedrooms. It is fairly dark if you don't turn on the hall lights, so I decided to make what I called "The Hallway of Blue" out of it. I took hundreds of blue lights and strung them all over the hallway - ceiling, walls. I love those Christmas blue light bulbs; I have ever since I was a kid. I also put blue garlands everywhere too. You enter that hallway and you are entering the one and only "Hallway of Blue." It looked amazing. I was really proud of it.

Dracu-belly had told the kids that when they came over to Grand-AP and Grandpa-Scobe's house they would be able to enter "The Hallway of Blue." It was only for special kids like John Charles (5) and Danielle (3).They didn't seem too thrilled when told.

So I called my son and told him that he had to keep talking about seeing "The Hallway of Blue" to make it a big deal. The beautiful AP told me not to be disappointed if the grandkids just yawned and asked for their gifts.

I was nervous when they came over but the first thing out of John Charles' mouth was, "Let's see the Hallway of Blue." Danielle nodded. I winked at my son Greg who had done a great job in the PR department.

So the beautiful AP and I held their hands and took them down the darkened hallway. "The Hallway of Blue is going to appear - everywhere around you," I said triumphantly and then we turned on the lights.

They jumped up and down and clapped. They loved it! Grandpa-Scobe had done it. I created a memorable moment.

When the party was breaking up, John Charles' came over to me to kiss me goodbye and said, "What are you going to do next year?"

Nuts. What am I going to do next year?