Christmas visit down South

My maternal side of the family got together over the holiday weekend to celebrate Christmas, so we got to take a little road trip. It is far enough away to make you glad when you arrive, but certainly do-able in a day. We convened at my Uncle's, who has an AMAZING house that sits high above the river. He is an expert at entertaining and loves to do it; this time was no different. In years past, there has been a holiday theme. One year it was bears. There are a few "life size" bears roaming around his house that always seem to come out at just the right time...the Noodle came across a few of them and was set the rest of the night. We are only able to get everyone together about once a year, so it is always a special time. This year, Uncle and Aunt C were able to make it. They haven't seen some of the family since their wedding in '04 and others even before that. I know it was meaningful for everyone.