The Christmas Where We All Learn A Valuable Lesson About Chocolate

It's the first of the year (well, the second actually, but who's counting?) and while many people are resolving to be better, do better and love more, I am not. I don't do resolutions because setting myself up to FAIL is just not how I operate.

So, while I'm busy resolving not to resolve I'd like to share a funny moment from our holiday.

My oldest brother lives three hours from the rest of the family and as you can imagine with six kids the trip to our town rarely happens. Most of the time we celebrate Christmas after the fact because actually commuting for the event would be ridiculous. Usually they drive to us.

This year we drove to them.

On Christmas day my Dad came for dinner and my kids received their presents "early" from Grandpa while their cousins gifts would be opened together at my brother's celebration.

Well, my Dad always thinks about the kids' feelings. Always.

At their birthdays he usually brings presents for the siblings because he doesn't want them to feel left out. It is quite possibly the sweetest thing, ever. And, actually it shows how caring my Dad really is despite his cranky old guy shenanigans he often shows the world.

Anyway, at my brother's house it was present time and my Dad being the caring guy that he is had the forethought to have a small gift for my two kids to open with their cousins despite having already received their presents on Christmas.

I handed my Dad his bag of loot to pass out the children.

He looks up at me and tosses two presents my way and says, "You already gave the kids theirs?"

Puzzled, I tossed the bags back in his direction and said, "No! We did not help ourselves to your presents."

In the toss back to him I notice a few tears in the bags. Indeed they had been opened but certainly not by us.

I laugh and ask where he had stored the bag of presents overnight because if I am not mistaken squirrel like tears look an awful lot like toddler tears.

His reply, "Outside!?" In the process of responding Dad started to realize that maybe outside was not an ideal place to store presents with chocolate in them.

I was doing my best to contain my laughter because "Dad, do you mean outside with wild animals?" And he was all, "Yes, because the chocolate was melting in my house because it was too warm."

Dad was doing his best to defend his reasoning but realizing his mistake after all of us were chiming in about the animal celebration that occurred after the discovery of such glorious prizes.

We went on and on about how the squirrels had spent all night dragging the chocolate piece by piece to their party. And then how all those squirrels are now dead after consuming poisonous amounts of chocolate but man, those few hours were so worth it. Really, there isn't really a better way to end it if you ask me.

Long after we realized what had happened I am still laughing. I am not laughing at my Dad just about the fact that it happened, I mean what are the odds? Thank goodness the only edible presents were the ones for my children - the ones who were already spoiled by him.

Let this be a lesson, never, never ever store your chocolate outside. (You are welcome.)