Ho Ho Ho, here we go!

I’m done with the buying, almost done with the wrapping, 2 days away from doing the baking with my daughter, and 3 days from our annual Christmas Eve get together!  Whew. Yes, I’m tired….but happy and looking forward to the festivities!

Tomorrow, I’m taking Pilates and getting my hair cut. I had lost a bit of weight, but the Christmas season has made sure that I gained every ounce back.  Well, there’s always the day after Christmas to get started losing again. I desperately need yoga…my usually limber hips hurt like bloody hell, and my joints are killing me.  It is so hard to work out and get ready for Christmas! Which probably means I am doing too much Christmas.

I have always been in love with the Christmas season, the decorating, the wrapping, buying gifts, and the best part? Watching people open gifts!  I love that.  You should see my big brother, in his mid fifties, he looks like a 5 year old again when he opens. I buy him a lot of presents just to see him open!

Both of my young adult children are getting married in 2015, so I bought for 4 kids this year! I know they aren’t really kids, but hey, my 85 year old mother called me a kid until the day she died. So I guess they are adult kids. Hopefully they will like their gifts, I hounded each of them relentlessly for a Christmas gift list.

My BFF always brings her very large family over on Christmas Eve, and since she has grandchildren, we still do cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.  And, oatmeal for Jule Nissan.

Oh, you don’t know Jule Nissan? He’s an elf.  A grumpy elf who hated toymaking. He doesn’t like kids or people much either. About 25 years ago, Jule hopped off of Santa’s sleigh and moved into our attic.  Jule is a sneaky little elf…he is always taking items and hiding them from us throughout the year!  He pops in and out of different locations in the house. On Christmas Eve we leave Jule a big, nice bowl of steaming oatmeal. Why? Because he likes oatmeal. Who knows what he would do to our trees and gifts and decorations if he didn’t get his Christmas Eve oatmeal? He likes to visit with the reindeer and Santa, so they snack together. Jule likes animals which is a good thing since we have, through the years, had zillions of them.  This year, only 4 dogs on Christmas.

The young ones leave on Christmas Eve somewhat early in order to get to bed so Santa will come, but the adults often stay for a bit. This year we have a poker game planned after the little ones leave. Randy and I have no grandchildren yet, and our children have finally decided that Santa only has to fill stockings this year (yes, Santa came to our house and left presents until my children were adults, so I must have been good at it!) and I’m looking forward to winning a pot of gold on Christmas Eve! Finally, I can stay up late!

My husband, who had a double lung transplant 15 months ago (looking a bit weak and pale in this 2013 Christmas photo) is doing great, working out every day and really, back to normal! We could not be more grateful for our good fortune in having him with us, so…..Have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Festival of Lights! I will check in after the big day!  Good will to all, and may peace come to our world soon.