Ready or not, Christmas is here!

A wrapping station set up by Wife.
You can see some of my finer work
 in the background.
Christmas Eve is here. It’s only a matter of hours before my children ask if we can exchange presents. Once again, we’ve done all we can to prepare for the big day of December 25th. We went shopping, sent Christmas cards, wrapped presents, checked our lists and made sure we had everything we needed to prepare for the festive season.

Needing Time to Prepare

Alas, we ran out of time. We had some unforeseen contingencies like we always do when there’s a plan. This year, I started a new job. That took some time out of the usual planning and preparation. Lucky for us, Lovie was able to step in and assume some of the Christmas duties. 

One of my favorite things to do for Christmas is to send out cards. My Christmas card list is three pages long, and I’m always excited when I add another name to it. Unlike Bob Rivers, I actually enjoy sending them out every year, even to the ones I really don’t “know”. 

Christmas shopping was a bit of a challenge. I went out more than once and took a different child with me at times. There was the usual dismay over the latest store closing, a casualty of the convenience of online shopping. I wasn’t able to find everything I wanted to get, but I did find a few goodies I happened to come across, and hopefully the recipients like them. 

The Boy was ecstatic when he found what he would give his mother. I can’t give too many details in case she comes across this dispatch, so we'll have to wait until after she opens it to let you in on it. 

There was baking in the house. There was plenty of wrapping. Christmas music in every room at different times of the day. Drives to and from work included a stop at a store hoping for a little something I can leave under the tree or in a stocking.

Family Time for a Show

"A Christmas Carol".
One of my favorites.
We were also able to take some time out of our schedule for a show. Wife was able to find tickets for "A Christmas Carol". It was an early Christmas Present for me. Dinner and a show was a fantastic way to spend the afternoon.

In the midst of all the preparation, there was also the occasional emergency my family is known for. Trips to address these emergencies forced us to be a little creative with our time management. It was nice to see the family pitching in where needed to help us navigate through the issues that came up as we prepared for this most wonderful time of the year. We managed to make it through... so far.

Resting... for now

Now we sit and rest. We'll share a cup of cheer as we sit around the Christmas tree. We'll be up and at them soon enough. We're going see Wife's parents tonight and then back on the road tomorrow morning visit my parents tomorrow. It's sure to be a fun time. These next few days will be crazy and tiring, but fun. I hope you have some fun and rest, too. Merry Christmas!


Dressed for Christmas Morning!


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