[Ben E Lou]

So, um, holy cow. After all that I posted just yesterday, this afternoon my brother-in-law's father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer, and based on what we're hearing from my brother-in-law and his wife them so far, it appears to be quite advanced. They live in the same city as his wife's parents, and of course his wife feels the need to stay back and spend what appears to be the last Christmas with her dad. I can't imagine my b-i-l would come alone with the kid under these circumstances. I know there's no way in the world I'd leave my wife and go to Columbus for a Christmas celebration if her dad were dying. Given that they live just 15 minutes away, I doubt my in-laws will bother with spending the night here if the Florida contingent doesn't come. My kids are sad about the prospect of not getting the see their cousin. Just like that, our Christmas may have gone from nine people to four.