The stockings are hung ...

/

Last week I knocked out a few holiday chores. So, yes, the stockings are now hung. And I have the wreaths up, the garland on the banisters and railings and porch, the tree done, the village up and running, the nativity scene arranged, and the box for Megan, Preston and Brayden dropped off at UPS for Tuesday delivery.

With all that I've accomplished, I'd like to think I'm pretty close to being ready for Christmas. But I'm not. I still have much to do this coming week, including:

1. Bake 14 dozen cookies for Saturday's annual family cookie swap.

2. Buy one more gift for Jim.

3. Buy one more gift for Andrea.

4. Buy two more gifts for Brianna.

5. Make the food gifts I'm giving friends and family.

6. Buy the gifts for Abby, Isabel, Mickey and Lyla ... aka "the animals."

7. Wrap all the gifts. (We still have zero gifts under the tree.)

8. Do the Christmas cards.

9. Watch Love, Actually, Joyeux Noel, While You Were Sleeping, and White Christmas in its entirety (I've only caught snippets on AMC). Without these, it surely doesn't feel like Christmas.

And how many of those things do you really think I'll be able to check off my list this week? Considering the procrastinator I am, I'm pretty sure I'll only get through No. 1 (thanks to the drop-dead deadline of Saturday), accomplish bits and pieces of Nos. 5 and 7, and possibly knock out one of the four flicks in No. 9.

Nos. 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8? Well, let's be honest here: Why do today this week what can be put off til tomorrow next week?

Photo credit: stock.xchng

Holiday question of the day?

How much of your holiday to-do list do you have left to do?

Conflicting wishes

/

Bubby visited Santa over the weekend. Last year, he clung to Daddy and refused to enjoy his time with Mr. Magical himself. This year, though, he did much better:

Despite being nervous about the visit -- hence the hand in the mouth -- Bubby did okay. He even managed to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas.

And what may that be?

A big orange truck!

Which comes as a surprise considering Bubby, as some of you may recall, already has a big orange truck: (BLOG REDESIGN DELETED THE VIDEO.)

I suppose at two-and-a-half-years-old, when you love something dearly, you have no qualms requesting more of the same.

Hopefully Bubby will forget all about having asked for a big orange truck once he sees all the other loot from Santa because I'm betting he won't find one under his tree come Christmas morning. One big orange truck is more than enough for one little boy.

Plus, I'm pretty sure poor Roxy -- who's often the unintentional hit-and-run doggy victim of the big orange truck -- has been fervently asking Santy Paws to make all her Christmas dreams come true ... by getting rid of Bubby's big orange truck and never again allowing such tools of terror to be added to Bubby's toy collection.

Holiday question of the day:

What's one thing you're hoping to find under the tree for yourself on Christmas morning?

Uncharted waters

/

We did it. Jim and I made it through our first time decorating the Christmas tree as empty-nesters. Meaning, we did it alone. Just the two of us.

After 28 years of tree-trimming being a loud, festive, family event, this year there were no little ones hanging eight ornaments in a space meant for three. No kiddos closing their eyes and holding out their hands awaiting presentation of the annual new ornament from Mom. No more jokes about the carrot, the pickle, the Russian Santa. No more surly teens swearing under their breath at one another as I ask if they could please just get along so we can get the tree done without someone crying. And no more girls home from college for the holiday and savoring the family time they'd missed while away.

This year, the ornaments are evenly spaced, there was no surliness, and there was no swearing. There were, though, a few tears. From me.

This is a huge milestone and not one I hoped to reach so soon. In fact, I hoped to never reach it at all. I hoped that even once my girls were grown and gone, there would be tree-trimming parties. That I'd have my daughters, their partners, my grandchildren running all about as Christmas music played and they clamored for this ornament or that. All the while we'd be sharing memories of holidays and tree-trimmings past.

But it wasn't to be. Not even close.

Maybe next year things will be different.

Or maybe next year will be the same. But at least having been through it this year, it won't feel so darn empty and strange.

Holiday question of the day:

What is your favorite ornament on your Christmas tree?

Peace on Earth?

/

Christmas is over and it was a pretty good one. I spent time with many loved ones -- although not Bubby and his family, unfortunately. And I received some great gifts. 

But I didn't get a gift I really, really wanted.

I didn't receive peace. 

I'm serious.

Although "Peace on Earth" -- that staple sentiment of greeting cards -- is a noble request and something we all surely need, that's not the kind of peace I'm talking about.

I'm talking about peace within my family and within myself.

I come from a large family with large problems and large addictions and afflictions on the part of many. And it makes for a very unpeaceful feeling. Which sucks. But until several siblings overcome their overwhelming inner demons and the rest of us overcome the chips that have firmly attached themselves to our shoulders because of those demons, peace won't be knocking on our doors anytime soon.

But more so than the peace within the family, I wanted to magically receive peace within myself, peace that has nothing to do with my extended family.

But that didn't happen either.

To be honest, I don't really know why I'm so NOT at peace, why I'm searching for it in the first place. Looking at the pictures from the past week and taking stock of the wonderful folks I have around me, the blessings I have in my life, my abundant riches not related to money, I shouldn't be fretting over anything.

But there's this unrest, this uneasy, this unPEACEFUL feeling I can't shake.

Is it just a natural effect of the unstable times in which we live? Are others feeling this way? Is inner peace an unattainable goal?

Does it really matter anyway?

Yeah, it does matter. But luckily, there's always next year. And next year I'll be putting "PEACE" in big fancy letters at the very top of my Christmas list.

In the meantime, I'll start working on creating it myself, for myself, just in case Santa doesn't deliver once again.

And as for peace within my family, my siblings should probably get started on finding a little peace within themselves, too, so it can spread throughout the family.

And in case they don't, I've already started pricing boulder-sized lumps of coal for their stockings for next Christmas.