Christmas in Fort Myers Beach

Let me start by saying for all of you who enjoyed your Christmas in the snow and cold...SUCKERS!

We spent our holiday at the beach in the 80 degree weather. Every morning, we woke up to look out over the ocean. Every afternoon, we sat out by the pool. And every evening, we slept with the sliding doors open. It wasn't too bad for Patrick and Stacy.

Let me tell you a little bit about Aunt Bette's condo. Its called the Coquina, however due to its location, it has been renamed the Co-gina. Its down the beach from the Master Bait and Tackle, down the road from the Publix, and across the street from the Munch Box. We had three condos to stay in, and it was a blast. Walks on the beach, lounges at the pool, and games at night. It was quite the enjoyable Christmas.

However, it wasn't the perfect Christmas. Keep in mind, I wasn't able to get a photo of the following in fear for my life, but try to imagine. My dad had picked up a bottle of wine from Costco, and when Robbie went to open it, the cork crumbled in the bottle. My dad tried to fix the situation. We handed him a knife and went back to preparing dinner. Next thing we heard was my dad screaming for help. We turned around to see his eyes closed, and red wine all over his face, shirt, the walls, and the ceiling. In trying to fix the cork, he managed to splash the wine out of the bottle and all over. We all thought Christmas was ruined for sure. Needless to say, my parents owe Aunt Bette and new coat of paint in the condo.

For Christmas dinner, we all headed out to Naples for a dinner buffet the likes of which you have never seen. The Ritz Carlton, Naples, puts on a dinner with more delicious food than you can imagine. There was a bread and spread bar, a seafood bar, soups and salads. There were side dishes of mashed potatoes, wild rice, califlower. And for main courses, prime rib of beef, turkey and sage stuffing. Then the desserts. Oh God, the desserts. I cant even begin to describe the desserts, and the pictures do not do it justice. There were puddings, creme brule, cookies, key lime pie, and ice cream stations that served made-to-order bananas foster and a molten chocolate cake. Out of this world.

The rest of the trip was enjoyable. We spent a few hours at the outlet malls, and a few hours shopping in Naples. The only downfall was the travel situation. Due to the weather in Chicago, we didn't arrive home unil 4 am. Other than that, Stacy and I had a very merry Christmas at the beach.

We hope you enjoyed your Christmas just as much, and that you have a very happy new year!