I'm afraid to even exhale as I truly don't think life will be back to normal until after the first of the year. Make that the 4th, since we have a party on the 2nd and I'll need the 3rd to recover. Life for me (and I'm sure many of you) has just sped by these past few months. Holidays, shopping, baking, visiting, parties, long work hours, and finding time to decorate the tree have consumed me. As much as I live for the "feeling" I get around Christmas, I can't wait for it all to be over. Sadly, I don't think I ever had that feeling this year. *sniffle, sniffle* I'm over it though... I think.
I made it through Christmas day with only crying once. I am a crier. Everybody knows that. I usually cry on Christmas for two reasons. At some point I am so overjoyed with all the happenings of the day that I just cry and at some point I am also usually disappointed in a thoughtless gift or a gift I've given going unappreciated. I am a bit embarrased to say that the reason for my tears this year came bright and early.
There was no excitement when I woke up. No giggling and running to see if Santa came. (Yeah, I'm 28 and I usually still do that.) This year I got up first, plugged in the tree, turned on the Christmas music and just patiently waited for J to get up. We did our stockings and set out to take turns opening our gifts. I knew that there wasn't a big surprise under the tree this year and I was okay with that. We truly did not need anything and other than a baby, there is nothing that I really wanted. So we decided to make gift-giving a game this year. We could only spend $50 on eachother (we both cheated a little) and we had to give 5 gifts. No more, no less. We could buy 5 $10 items or 1 $40 item and 4 $2.50 items. Whatever it was we had to have 5 at $50 total. I gave him plenty of ideas and I had to wing it for him as he gave me nada clue! I was a little excited to see what he had chosen for me, so I opened my first gift. I couldn't hold back the disappointment when it was a shirt (too small) from a store that I HATE. There is no surprise at all that I hate this store. Trust me, he learned after last Christmas. I have told him numerous times that I do not shop there, do not like their clothes, so do NOT buy me anything from there...especially not a shirt that is too small. So, yeah, I was a little teary with disappointment. Imagine how I handled it when he proceeded to toss box #2 in my direction as he mumbles "you might as well open this one then too." Yeah, folks. Another shirt from the same store in the same size. Gaaah! See, you're probably thinking that I shouldn't be greedy and that Christmas isn't about gifts. If that is what you're thinking then zip it! I am NOT greedy and Christmas is NOT about gifts, but this was our plan, our game, and quite frankly those two gifts were failures. I shed some tears and got over it. I wasn't upset that I got shirts as 2 out of my 5 gifts. I was upset that he obviously waited until the last minute, and put zero thought into it. My other three gifts were great. I got a yoga mat (pink with white flowers) that I will have to use a lot to fit into those two small shirts, a Chia Herb Garden and a laptop cooler thingy that sits between your lap and laptop. That wasn't even on my list, as I didn't know it existed, but I LOVE it and couldn't be more thrilled with it.
As for the cookies and the couch, well... that is today. I am enjoying this box full of Pizzelles that came from my Grandma as I sit on the couch and play the new video game that I got from my parents. I don't see how people do this. The first few hours were very fun, enjoyable and self-indulgent. Now I just feel lethargic, despite the sugar rush, and my back is sore (from sitting on the couch all day.) Good thing this only happens once or twice a year. Tomorrow I will go to work and continue on until that blessed day of January 4th comes. It's been a _____________ (fill in the blank) few months, but I am ready to go forward.
