Christmas time is....Here!

It's here...and Willow asked to help with Santa stuff...and her comment:  "(yawn)...this is kinda boring..."  I did regale her with tales of toy assembly past...but this year...it was pretty simple.  And, of course, Santa had some surprises left for Willow once she finally went to sleep..


Before then, Christmas Eve was spent with friends and family...first at a non-brunch brunch...and then at our old Japanese steakhouse....Birthday cake was served!

Then home for presents.  Michael gave me a wonderful present of a framed drawing he made for his drawing class this year!

Now for pictures!

Willow and cousins:

At the Japanese steakhouse...plum wine and yummy food...and surprise bday cake!

And home...Michael's gift wrapped for me...and other gifts...

Michael had an adventure getting this drawing framed and wrapped.  While wrapping it on Saturday...the glass broke on his first frame...so a scramble back to the store with Dad...and sympathetic store clerks letting him use their wrapping paper later...this is what I came home to after the steakhouse.

Michael got Willow a Star Wars figure!

Michael got Brad a Pulp Fiction figure!

We got Michael Rocket Racoon (from Guardians of the Galaxy) pjs and a Rick and Morty game.

Michael's drawing! (I hope he got an "A" for it!) (Done in charcoal)

Christmas morning!!

This morning!  (Michael in his Rocket Racoon pjs)

A requested video game!

More things to read!

A Meesick! 

Warhammer figures!

A mini Guitar!

A Dragon hoodie (its Toothless and it has a tail!)

Things I haven't done yet...

Things I haven't had the chance of doing yet or been prevented from doing:

• See my son's presentation on Rabies for his biology class...  (Oh come on...this is SO something I would like to see!)  Like a lot of things with Michael, he plays things close to his chest.  I have only heard of this project, which I believe he had to come up with a theory and a way to prove it...and he picked something to do with Rabies.  Sometimes he is SO like me--but yet...won't let me SEE!!  :-)

• A good nights sleep has eluded me for about a week...having a very bad cold, combined with other stressors in my life...just not happening.  Hoping to get some rest this weekend?

• Going to the fitness Boxing place, now that I have signed up for a year!  I tried the Friday after Thanksgiving--the mall they were in was closed off with firetrucks.  Been too busy or too sick to go since then (they have limited times for classes too, which is a challenge).  Hope to go this Sunday...hopefully the weather, my sickness and my alarm clock will help me to do so!

• Filling up my holiday cards--helps if you actually have them....they are being shipped soon!

Decorations Ahoy!

New ornaments this year.

The trick in getting him to smile...talking with him and not looking like you are taking a picture...

I cannot ever get a good picture of the tree...we don't have a picture worthy tree...its better in person...lots of cool ornaments...

So, it cannot be denied...December is upon us!

2017 is almost over and as usual, I marvel at how quickly winter turned to spring turned to summer turned to fall turned to....well, winter is not quite here--but December is!   The end of the year--the beginning of a new one just around the corner...the celebrations, the expectations...the melancholy and nostalgia. 

I find as an adult, once Halloween is over, I am loathe to admit that the next holidays are coming...that the end of the year is near, that Thanksgiving is barely a blip before the festivities, mayhem and JOY spill out onto December, like a calendar of the whole year vomiting up before me.

So.  Just before you think me a humbug or a grinch...it really is just me dragging my feet away from this year and trying to "stay at the pool a little longer" and enjoy this year...THIS time...before the seasons take over all senses. 

Two nights ago, Willow asked if I was excited...I said, "Well, it isn't even December yet!"  I will wait until then! 

This weekend we will put the decorations up...I will start looking forward to making Grammie's Fudge...and I will even start playing Christmas music!  Hanukkah is early this year...so, I have to get my Holiday Groove on quick....But I will, just like a vacationer having to come back from vacation and go back to the normal routine...I will fully embrace December/Christmas/Hanukkah/End of Year/Birthday. 

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(BTW---I already have 95% of my holiday shopping done...I may drag my feet when it comes to the seasons...but not when getting presents for people I love...one of my favorite things about this season!)