It's over, finally

Well, we finally had our Christmas gathering yesterday. All the kids liked their gifts, which was great (parents call us with what the kids like, what they need, what sizes they wear, so we can get them gifts they'll like/use/wear). But I can tell you, I was glad when everyone left (9 kids and 4 more adults in this small house is crowded, let me tell you). The parents all liked their gifts too, so that was all good.
My son and his wife and their kids didn't make it up here (this economy is not being kind to electricians, that's for sure), so DH and I will be making a trip down there in a couple of weeks to deliver their Christmas, if the weather is decent.
I think next year, we're going to buy gifts and mail them to everyone and not have a gathering here. The kids went upstairs to play and ended up tearing up all the boxes we store the Christmas ornaments in (they were playing hide and seek in the closets upstairs, not a good thing to do when we have so much shit stored in them). They also broke most of the ornaments we hadn't put on the tree this year, and broke some of the boxes I had my sewing stuff and records stored in. We found this out today when we went to get the boxes so we could take down the tree and put everything away. These kids all range in age from 5 to 14 (one is 5, one is 6, the others are all between 10 and 14), so the older ones should have known better. I think I'm just getting too old and cantankerous to deal with rowdy kids (or maybe I'm just a bitch and need to become a recluse.......lol). DH was more pissed off than I was, and I was upset enough. He's talking about putting a lock on the door to the spare bedroom (there's nothing in there for the kids) and then putting a lock on the closet in the sewing room (all the toys are in that room). That way, they can play with the toys, but can't get into anything they shouldn't (well, they can get into the chests of drawers where I have my sewing supplies, but I'll figure out a way to keep them out of those too). The upstairs probably won't be as much fun with nothing to get into except toys, but it will be a lot easier on our stuff (I still think I shouldn't have to do that, I never had to do that with my son when he was small, and I sure as hell didn't have to do that with my grandson when he was little either). What the hell is wrong with kids that they don't respect what belongs to other people? If it's not theirs, they can break it or tear it up or make a mess? Are parents not teaching their kids to respect other people and their belongings anymore?
So, anyway, the holidays are over for us (we don't celebrate New Year's since neither of us drink). DH has New Year's Eve and New Year's Day off, we're going to stay home and work on our challenges for badges on Pogo (I'll have my second book of weekly badges completed, that will give me the books for 2007 and 2008). Eventually, I'll get the other books done, from 2003 through 2006. Gives me something to do when I'm not riding the recumbent exercise bike or doing what little housework needs to be done.
Hope everyone else had a happy holiday season, no matter what ones you celebrate.