11 posts tagged “christmas”

I'm really not a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. I absolutely love Christmas. It's more than the lights and pretty decorations. It's the feeling you get when you've found the perfect gift for someone, the anticipation of seeing the look on someone's face when it gets unwrapped, the satisfaction of knowing you've spread some cheer. And, for the second year, anyway, I'll have the joy of knowing that everything I've bought has been paid for outright, and not on credit. Which only means that January's credit card bill will be a happy one, indeed. (Well, not exactly happy. Happy would be a non-existent balance. But it will be happier.)

So why do I feel like such a Scrooge right now?

I submit the list of one of the needy families my workplace adopted this year:

Kid #1 (20 yrs old):

Best Buy gift card

Bible - travel size approx 5 x 8 - The Message

Sports Authority gift card

American Eagle gift card

 

Kid #2 (17 yrs old):

i Tunes gift card

Boss DD3 Digital Delay Guitar Effects pedal

Boss RC-2 Loop Station Guitar Effects pedal

3 packs of Elixir Polyweb Electric Guitar strings .10 gauge

Fallout 3- Video game for X Box 360

Season 1 of -Chuck- TV series

Season 1 or 2 of -Psych- TV series

Season 4 of - The Office- TV series

Monty Python Flying Circus TV series on DVD

Best Buy Gift Card

 

Kid #3 (14 yrs old):

One year of X-Box live for X-Box 360

The Dark Knight DVD special edition

Hancock DVD special edition

Mercenaries 2 video game for X Box 360

007 Quantum of Solace video game for X Box 360

Planet Hulk - Marvel Graphic Novel

24 - Season 2 TV series

Best Buy gift card

Gamestop gift card

 

Mom:

Blender

Gift Card for clothes - Kohl's - Coldwater Creek - Sears - Walmart

Perfume - Sensational, Green Tea Lotus, or Red Door

Black or brown leather pocketbook

 

Dad:

Christmas tree

Cordless electric drill (Ryobi, Makita, Hitachi, etc)

25 ft pro measuring tape

After shave - Brut

I have serious misgivings about giving anything to this family. I asked about them and got a bit of backstory, namely that the parents used to own and operate a once lucrative CD store, which they recently had to close because it was losing money. The father could only find a job in maintenance (despite the myriad retail management jobs I see posted each week in the employment section) and recently became ill; the mother (who used to help run the business) doesn't work. They've since foreclosed on their house and are living in an apartment, and the parents are getting ready to file for bankruptcy.

So, yeah, things suck right now for them. But it still doesn't make me want to run out and buy something off their list. I'm not spending $50 on kids I know this Christmas, let alone kids I don't know. (Full disclosure: I've spent $44 on The Boy's Christmas presents. That includes his gift from Santa, too.)

The other family's list is very basic: winter clothes for the 3 kids (ages 6 months to 4 years), diapers & formula for the baby, puzzles, board games, basic toys, books, clothes for the mom. It's the kind of list you expect to receive from a family in need. It's not a list that you look at and think, "How is this a family in need?" Half of my coworkers have remarked they don't even have an XBox, let alone need games for it.

I know families who are far needier, families with medical bills that are only manageable because they're fortunate enough to have insurance. I have friends raising kids on single incomes, friends who have foreclosed on their homes and filed for bankruptcy, friends who have to decide which bills to pay and which to let slide, friends who are struggling each month to keep roofs over their heads and food in their bellies. And I have Vox neighbors who are barely making ends meet, neighbors whose words make me want to cry as I look at the wealth surrounding me and offer up prayers of thanks for all that I do have.

These are the people I want to help, people who don't own much but still feel so blessed for what they have, people who aren't wrapped up in the materialism of the season but recognize the gifts they've already been given. But the amazing thing is that the people I want to help are the ones who are too humble to ask for anything - because they, too, know of people far needier than they.

So, I'm not getting anything for the above family this Christmas (I've already purchased Chutes and Ladders for the other family). I will leave their wish list to more sympathetic people in the building and focus my efforts, instead, on surprising the people I know with unexpected niceties. And if that makes me a Scrooge, so be it.

Bah! Humbug!

I've been off the grid for the past few weeks. It hasn't been intentional, or, at least, it's not something I particularly wanted to do. But with traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, closing up November at work, figuring out the best way to collect and organize The Boy's toys in the family room while still keeping them accessible, and otherwise keeping my head above water everyday, blogging - as much as I wanted to write - fell by the wayside and I dropped off the grid.

But I'm back! Well, sort of.

So, first things first: our first family road trip to Kentucky.

Chris and I took The Boy up to Kentucky to visit friends and family, and we drove 14 hours up and 15 hours back (the extra hour was thanks to some lovely rain and construction on I-75 throughout Georgia). Surprisingly, The Boy was amazingly well-behaved while we were on the road. Heading up, he was running a fever of 102; we discovered Monday morning after a visit to the local pediatriciac group (so glad I looked it up weeks before our trip) that he was fighting a slight case of pneumonia! So, Chris and I didn't get a whole lot of rest during the trip. Not only were we trying to cram in as much as we could into the week (most of which we didn't even accomplish), we were constantly on guard with The Boy.

Some highlights from the trip:

• The Boy, for some odd reason, was not very nice to my mother-in-law's dogs. The first night we arrived, one of the dogs was very excited and wanted very much to sniff him, and I think The Boy was overwhelmed by the experience. (It was way past his bedtime, he was in an unfamiliar place, and here's this creature he's only seen in pictures trying to sniff him and lick him... It was just too much to handle.) I tried to teach him to forcefully say, "No, dog! Go away!", which he copied somewhat successfully the next morning (it sound like mostly gibberish; the only understandable word was "dog") complete with finger-wagging, but he still alternated between using nice hands and gently petting the dogs nicely to suddenly whacking them and trying to kick them as they ran from him. No amount of "Use nice hands" and positive modeling altered his behavior towards them. How we survived that week free of snarls and nips is beyond me.
• My father-in-law set up a train that was initially purchased for my husband's second Christmas. My mother-in-law put up the tree the previous night (The Boy excitedly helped decorate it with garland), and my father-in-law put the train beneath the tree, which kept The Boy entertained for hours. He was so eager to play with it each day, and I frequently redirected him to it when necessary. I also got some wonderful pictures of him sitting in Chris's lap as they watched the train.
• On Tuesday, the entire family (meaning my mother-in-law, my father-in-law, and my sister-in-law) accompanied The Boy to Lexington to get fitted for a new pair of shoes. The last time I had his feet measured was just after his first birthday, so you can only imagine my horror when the man at the shoe store told me that his feet were now a size 7 when I had been cramming his poor little toes into Size 5-1/2 shoes! Anyway, this shoe store was the same store my in-laws took my husband when he was a tot, so Chris was delighted to see The Boy getting his feet measured on the same bench he once sat more than 30 years ago.
• Mid-week, once The Boy was feeling better, we bundled him up and let him run around the back yard. One thing we really do wish our current house had is a larger yard. (Of course, I also wish the weather was less humid and didn't rain so much in the Summer, so I could go outside and watch him play without worrying that one of us would suffer from heat stroke.) Anyway, he got so excited when he saw his stroller because he knew it meant he was going outside. I didn't realize until then how cooped up he must have felt.
• Thanksgiving Day was a little more trying than I thought, mainly because I was constantly on guard with The Boy. My sister-in-law brought her dog (who doesn't get along, it so happens, with my mother-in-laws dogs), and I had to be extra vigilant because, unlike my mother-in-law's younger dog, my sister-in-law's dog has all her teeth and didn't seem to be shy about using them. The Boy filled his belly with bread and milk and a little bit of pork. The baked apples didn't interest him (though I was sure they would), and he turned up his nose at the turkey and stuffing. But he had an extra-full belly when I lifted him out of his booster seat!

One thing I will say about the actual road trip is that I absolutely love my car. I really liked it before we went on our trip, but traveling in it was so nice. Rather than bundling up The Boy to take him to a questionable restroom every time we needed a diaper change, I just lowered the passenger-side seat, laid out a blanket, then changed The Boy's diaper with no problems. This was particularly handy because we could stop for gas and a diaper change simultaneously, and it only added a few minutes to our travel time. He never needed to get out of the car - a definite bonus with temperatures in the 40s throughout our trip. And it was roomy enough that my above-average-height husband was comfortable in it.

We put up the tree at home the day after we returned from our trip, and Chris set up the Monorail under the tree. The Boy is completely enamored of the Christmas decorations. This weekend, he was very observant and made sure that Chris was aware that all the lights were off when he awoke! (Oh, the horror!) Additionally, he wouldn't go to sleep last night until everything was turned off, assuring him that, no, he wasn't the only one going to sleep for the evening.

As for me, my Christmas shopping is done (hooray!) except for gifts for one friend, and I've got almost everything wrapped and properly labeled. I finally decided on my Christmas card design last night, so I only need to decide on the sentiment, print those onto cardstock, and assemble the cards. I'm really quite excited about it! The best thing is that I'll be able to use all existing materials - even the envelopes - and won't need to purchase anything.

Work has been incredibly busy (I've admittedly been slacking and not turning my full attention to the reports due this afternoon), and life at home is, well, life. But, aside from someone (who shall remain unnamed) having 48 hours of a mild stomach bug that resulted in copious diarrhea this past weekend, we're all doing pretty well.

And for that, I'm thankful.

I also spent a lot of money, but I got a good chunk of my Christmas shopping done - including my husband's gifts for his bosses! Hooray! Now I have a lot of wrapping to do, but that's the easy part of Christmas. Shopping sucks.

I was super psyched, though, because I found the perfect gift for one of our friends for whom, I think, it is near-impossible to shop. But I chanced upon it, immediately called his wife for approval, then purchased it - and even used a coupon for it! Hee hee! I love being frugal when I can. It makes the dollar stretch so much futher. And then I can get so much more!

So now I really only have one person left on my list who has nothing from me (not including family, of course). I have some thoughts, but I need to give it more consideration. And I only have $87 of my allotted budget left. I need to get really creative about this!

The weekend started out with a trip to the Saturn dealership to get my car serviced. There isn't anything wrong with it, mind you; I just like going to the dealership and having them check everything out as long as the car is under warranty. I had my fuel injector thingy flushed and my tires balanced and realigned on top of the oil change and fluid top-off, but it was good to have that done. Besides, I haven't been there since June, and my Saturn e-mail said that I only had 33% of my oil life left.

After the dealership, I stopped at Costco ($1.98 for gas!) to pick up some of The Boy's bath soap and a couple of other things. Then it was on to Target (office gifts in the front bins for $1 each!), where I found some long-sleeved tops for myself (all ridiculously on sale) and long-sleeved onesies for layering The Boy this winter (45 degrees this morning! Yikes!). I also picked up some much-needed hand soap, some of which was Method's toasted hazelnut holiday scent. I highly recommend it. My next visit was to Bed Bath & Beyond before I made a final stop at Old Navy to use a gift card that had been burning a hole in my wallet. I tried so hard to use it all and fell $4.13 short, but the cashier was nice enough to let me have the change rather than keeping it on the card. Because, really, when can you ever find something for $4 at Old Navy?

As I said, I spent a lot of money.

That evening we went to our friends' house to celebrate a few birthdays. The Boy loves playing drums on Rock Band 2. Our friend Doug set up the drums on Freestyle Mode and let The Boy go to town on them. It was so much fun to watch! He held sticks in both hands and was hitting all the drum heads... I may have a future Keith Moon on my hands! Perhaps I should think about sound-proofing a room.

The next morning, we went to IKEA to pick up a few things. I (finally) got my chandelier and shades for the dining room, and because I needed to spend at least $100 to get a "free" $20 gift card (and it was something Chris needs), we picked up some bookshelf extenders, too. Now I have $23 IKEA dollars to put towards a mirror for the dining room. Woo hoo!

Of course, the trip to IKEA completely threw The Boy off schedule, which, as we all know, is a big no-no. He boycotted his nap and had a major meltdown around 5, so Chris and I whisked him into the bathtub, cleaned him, put him in his pajamas, gave him a yummy dinner of bananas and bread (he ate a lot of chicken for his afternoon snack), then brushed (and flossed) his teeth and put him to bed. And then he didn't wake up for 11 whole hours!

So, yeah, it was a really busy weekend. But I got a lot done (including three loads of laundry), and The Boy woke up in an awesome mood this morning. Who can argue with that?

I went Christmas shopping at lunch today with my friend and coworker, and we patroned a store that I normally don't frequent: KMart. It was interesting... See, in the world of Big Box stores, KMart is still positioned behind Target and WalMart. (Target is also positioned above WalMart.)

There also aren't very KMarts around, it seems. I remember a few years back when they declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, brought on an entirely new leadership board, then came back from Chapter 11 with enough capital to buy Sears. Anyway, it would appear that they didn't bother reopening a number of the locations it had previously closed. As someone who works periodically with closing venues, it doesn't surprise me. After all, if sales didn't warrant having it open before the reorganization, why in the world would it make sense to reopen them now?

So, I ventured to KMart at lunch and was quite surprised at what I saw. There are some really nice things there, and almost all of it was discounted by at least 40%! I got a great frame and some candles for gifts, and I found some clothes for the wee one, and it was all very reasonably priced! Now, I'm not saying that I'm going back there to shop more frequently; what I would spend on gas to get there doesn't justify the savings I would receive. But to tag along, it wasn't a bad trip.

After returning to the office (and pushing out the last few things that needed to be done today), I sat down and made my Christmas list. I should have done this earlier, but at least I'm doing it now.

The Christmas list is the one kind of list I really don't enjoy making. I fully understand why it's necessary, but it doesn't mean I'm a fan of making it. I always feel like I need to be equitable to everyone on the list, even though I know that my friendship runs a bit deeper with some people than with others. And then there's the awkward question of how to handle those you don't know all that well. It's just a nuisance.

I'm pleased to say, though, that I have managed to complete shopping for one family on my list and am halfway through with two other families. (There are seven families on my list, not including my sister and in-laws. And I am only at a complete loss for two of them.) It's slowly coming together. I have some gifts for The Boy's teachers at school, but I'm still trying to come up with my plan for my coworkers (there are 16 of them).

If I can actually get the bulk of this done before December, it will be a small miracle.

In the meantime, I still need to figure out what I'm going to do about Christmas cards...

Plans for the department Holiday Party (oh, hell - just say "Christmas") are underway. Fortunately, they've sent out feelers earlier in the year to check on people's availability. So far, the dates they've offered do not work for my family. One conflicts with my husband's birthday weekend and the other conflicts with a family outing.

I'm not terribly distraught, if you can't tell.

It's not that I don't like my coworkers. I like them well enough. I just don't have a lot in common with most of them. They are really nice, but most of them like to drink and, well, I haven't had more than half a glass of wine in two years. And I don't know if you've ever been the lone sober person in a crowd of drunken coworkers... Just believe me when I say it's not fun. And while I'm not the only one with a toddler, I'm the only one who doesn't have family nearby, so I can't very easily drop off my kid with Grandma or anything.

So, I've got my Scrooge face on now.

Anyway...

I'm feeling rather ambivalent about the holidays this year. With Mom gone and the economy in the toilet and an increasing sense of urgency to pay off my debts as quickly as possible, I'm just not in the mood to be jolly.

And I still need to sit down and design this year's card.

Bleh.

I'm a regifter. I admit it. I think it's very difficult to not regift, only because I receive a lot of very nice gifts (usually from people who don't know me well) that aren't necessarily my taste and that I know someone else would like to have. And such is the way of the regift.

I think regifting gets a bad rap because of those who don't do it well. For example, the paper mache snowman figurine given to me this year by a coworker is not going to be regifted. In fact, it probably won't even make it inside the house. Likewise for the plaster snowman family that I received a few years ago from a coworker at a different job. I can't imagine anyone out there really would want it, unless they happen to be avid snowman figure collectors (of which I know of none). So, maybe it's an Ebay item, instead. For a penny.

No, the art of the regift is about passing along a nice (this is the critical piece) gift to someone who would enjoy it at least as much - but hopefully more - than you would. Even better is if said gift is actually something you know someone else has expressed an interest in having. For example, a few years ago, I received a Best Buy gift card as a thank you for a job well done. It was a very nice gift, and for a decent amount, too (more than $50). But I have little need to go to Best Buy, and I don't often go there when I need something they sell, anyway... so it got regifted. And the recipient was pleased as punch. That's how to properly regift.

So, to recap:

DON'T regift tchotchki items unless the recipient actually collects tchotchki. It's painfully obvious that it's a regift, so save yourself the embarrassment of listening to the polite (but strained) thank yous and put it up on Ebay instead. Or, better yet, submit it for a White Elephant present.

DON'T forget to take out any packaging, cards, notes, or any other items that blatantly call you out as a regifter. My husband's old roommates received a very nice bar set for their wedding, only to find a card from the recipient's Great Uncle So-and-So in the packaging. Oops.

DON'T regift to someone in the same circle as the giver - and especially not to someone who was there when you initially opened the present that you now plan to regift. I like to break up my associates into groups: I've got Family (F), Close Friends from Home (CFH), Current Co-Workers (CCW), and Close Friends in Florida (CFF). Now, because F is in close proximity to CFH, I won't regift between those groups. But I can regift something from F to CFF, or from CFH to CCW, or even from CFF to CCW. But regifting within any one group is a definite no-no.

DO include something new with your regift. Even if you're already regifting a very nice, very expensive something, it wouldn't hurt to include an additional touch. I think I paired the Best Buy gift card in my above example with a video game. The art of the regift is about being frugal and thus able to give more, not about being cheap.

DO carefully pair the intended recipient with the item you wish to regift. Someone who is just learning to knit, for example, would be the perfect recipient for a book on knitting that you received from someone who didn't realize that you're an expert knitter. (I'm not a knitter; this is truly an example. And though I've scrapbooked for ages, I would be hard-pressed to part with any of my idea books.)

DO take good care of the items you plan to eventually regift. My mother was an expert at this. She would carefully unwrap something, dutifully write the thank you card, then take the gift and store it in our hallway closet (where she kept all the last-minute presents for surprise visitors). We always had back-up presents stashed, all boxed and in pristine condition, and no one ever knew they were regifts. Or, at least, no one ever let on that they knew. I remember one Christmas when some people came over to the house unexepectedly, and Mom brought out all these presents for everyone - wrapped and all - as though she had known all along that they were coming. That was the year I gained a whole new appreciation for the Post-It note.

By the way, if you're wondering if you've ever received a regift from me, you probably have. I'm an equal opportunity regifter.

But I also make it a point to not regift crap.

My first outgoing Christmas card is in the mail!

My parents are always the first to receive my Christmas card, or, at least, their card is within the first outgoing stack. This year, I still have quite a few cards to make, but I didn't want to wait too long (they're in the Philippines) before sending their card. Besides, I needed to include a few pictures of the boy.

I'll post the card design in a day or so; I need to get off my duff and finish them up soon - preferably before this weekend. I think it's my best card to date, personally, and it's inspired me to seriously consider setting up an Etsy shop and putting up cards for sale.

That will require more research, though. Thank goodness Baby C is starting to sleep a little more now.

I've been thinking lately about the kinds of lessons I would like to one day teach Baby C about the holiday season. You see, with the massive commercialization of Christmas, I think a lot of kids are missing the point of what this holiday really means. I shudder to think about kids returning to school after winter break and asking each other, "What did you get for Christmas?" That's not the point of the holiday. Christmas is about giving. It's not about what you give, either, though nicer presents are always a plus. No, Christmas is about giving of yourself, whether it's making little presents when you're on a tight budget or being nice to someone you really don't like.

A few years ago, I lost my job right before Christmas. As it turned out, I was offered another one just after the new year, but I still had a stressful holiday. Luckily, I already purchased a number of presents for people before getting sacked, but I still didn't have anything for Chris. So I made him a little book of things that I love about him. (I still don't think he's read it all the way through, though.) Do I think it was the best present I ever gave him? Hardly. But I still felt good on Christmas because he at least had something from me to unwrap.

Sadly, now that Christmas is this great big industry whose primary goal, it seems, is to separate people from their money (or put them into abysmal debt), I think many people have lost sight of the origins of the traditions associated with giving presents at Christmastime. The actual Saint Nicholas, for example, was a bishop who was known for his extreme generosity to the poor. The Santa Claus we've all come to know and love has more in common with the Germanic god Odin, who left presents for children around the time of the Winter Solstice. The reindeer are loosely based on Odin's flying eight-legged horse. (The Christmas tree is another Germanic tradition, though I'm still unclear on how that tradition ties into the holiday.) So, the act of giving presents, then is to emulate both Saint Nicholas and Odin, and give presents (respectively) to the less fortunate and those who have been good to us.

I get a little annoyed by those who say that Christmas is a made-up holiday because Jesus's actual birthday was probably in the late spring or early summer. I wasn't there in the early years of Christianity (nor do I claim to be an expert theologian), but I believe the birthday celebration got moved to coincide with the Winter Solstice (December 21, for those playing along at home) for the Germanic tribes who were being converted in large numbers. This way, the new converts could hold fast to some of their traditions (the tree, the stockings by the chimney, the yule log) while centering it around an important religious event. It also enabled the Church to slowly pull them away from their pagan beliefs.

But things have come full circle now, and Christmas has practically lost all its religious significance. I'm not a religious zealot, myself, but I do feel strongly about certain holidays and traditions, courtesy of my Catholic upbringing. So, these are some of my favorite questions that I've heard children ask - and the responses I would give to them.

Why give presents at Christmas if it's Jesus's birthday? Jesus was God's present to us, so he was really the very first Christmas present to the whole world. And, since Jesus died a long time ago, we can't very well give presents directly to him. So, we give presents on his behalf.

I don't like so-and-so. Why do I have to give a present to her? It's always easy to give presents to people you like. It's much harder to give a present to someone you don't like, but that's why it's important. The small gesture will make the other person feel good, and you never know - you and this person may end up liking each other very much one day.

Why should I pick a name off the tree and buy a present? I don't know them! There are a lot of people who are less fortunate than you are. Some people don't have a house. Some don't have a family. Some don't have very many clothes and go to bed feeling very hungry every night. The original Santa Claus gave presents to all the poor people around him, whether he knew them or not, because he was kind and generous. Especially at this time of the year, we should all emulate Santa Claus and give to those who have less than we do.

Is there really a Santa Claus? What do you think? I think Santa Claus exists. As long as there is someone out there who is kind and generous, I think he still exists. Maybe he doesn't have reindeer, and he might not wear a red suit. But I think he exists.

Of course, I believe in miracles, too.

Now, the Easter Bunny is an entirely different story.

Only because everyone else is doing it...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer wrapping paper (both for giving and receiving), but I've been known to use both. Which reminds me... I'm almost out of paper.

2. Tree--Real or Artificial? I had live trees growing up, and I prefer them, but my husband's family has always done artificial trees. The one we have is one that he's had for years and years. It's starting to lose some of its "needles", though, so we may get one of those artificial pre-lit ones in a year or so.

3. When do you put Christmas tree up?  At home, Mom said the tree couldn't go up until December 17. It's all in keeping with Simbang Gabi, which is a Filipino novena leading up to midnight mass on Christmas Eve. (I think the 17th is also when my grandfather passed, though.)

4. When do you take the tree down? I would like to take it down New Year's Eve, but it doesn't always work like that. I've never liked having the tree up for my birthday (which is January 3), and I certainly don't want to take it down on my birthday.

5. Like egg nog? I could take it or leave it. I really don't have a strong opinion one way or the other.

6. Do you have a nativity scene? Fisher-Price has a really cute Little People version that I'd love to get. My husband is an Atheist, though, so it's not something I'd place prominently. It would be fun to re-enact Christ's birth with the little toys, though, when Baby C gets a bit older.

7. Favorite gift received as a child? In 3rd grade, it was the My Little Pony stable. In 5th grade, it was a pink radio. I can't really say which I liked better; they were both the best present ever at the time I received them.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My brother-in-law, usually (what do you get for the man who literally has everything - or, at least, the disposable income to get it for himself), but this year I was able to cross him off fairly easily.

9. Easiest person to buy for?  Baby C. For now.

10. Worst Christmas gift? A plaster thing of "caroling" snowmen. But it's the thought, right?

11. Mail or email a Christmas card? Mail.

12. Favorite Christmas movie?  It's a Wonderful Life, if we're talking about classics. But I'm a big fan of the original Die Hard, too.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Every year, I vow that I'm going to have it done before the start of December. And every year, I find myself wracking my brain the week leading up to Thanksgiving, trying to make my list. So, I typically don't start until the week or so before Thanksgiving. But I don't finish, usually, until the weekend before Christmas.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Of course. Just about every year. Sometimes, it's just unavoidable. But I'm thoughtful when I recycle, and people rarely realize that it's a recycled present.

15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? Mom would make her fruit salad and would need to constantly shoo me away. [sigh] Good times. These days, I don't really have a favorite food for Christmas Day (or Eve).

16. Colored or clear lights? Clear

17. Favorite Christmas Song? Do They Know It's Christmas? by BandAid, but other favorites include Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses and I Won't Be Home by Blink 182. Oh, and She Won't Be Home by Erasure still makes me sad, especially since I haven't been with my family (parents & sister) at Christmas for several years now.

18. Travel during Christmas or Stay home?  This year? Staying home. Last year? Staying home. We stayed home in '05 and '04, too, but we went to Kentucky in '03 to be with Chris's family. 2002 was the last time I had Christmas with my family.

19. Can you name Santa's reindeers? Of course!

20. Angel or Star on Tree top? We don't have a topper for the tree. I'd like to get one, though.

21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning?  In my family, we opened one present after midnight mass on Christmas Eve (well, Christmas morning, since it was after midnight). My husband's family opened them Christmas morning. Since he doesn't go to church, I've given up on midnight mass (but try to go to the children's mass, though I didn't go last year) and still insist upon opening one present after midnight. The rest can wait until Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Trying to park at the mall. Which is why I do my shopping online now. =)

I'm growing tired of all this Christmas cheer.

(You people scare me; please stay away from my home. If you don't want to get beat down, just leave the presents and then leave me alone...)

Sorry about that. I had a Blink 182 moment there and couldn't escape.

I'm really not getting tired of Christmas cheer, but this whole being-nice-to-people-I-don't-really-like starts to hurt my face after a while, if you know what I mean. It also doesn't help that I'm (still) sick with a nasty cough that won't go away and feeling completely sleep-deprived.

I accompanied one of my coworkers to Michaels at lunch today. After all, I needed some inspiration for our Christmas card design, and I knew I would find something interesting to use as inspiration while I was there. Sadly, though, inspiration did not strike - but I used the store credit that had been burning a hole in my wallet and purchased an obligatory Christmas present for someone on my list. Obligatory presents are always so difficult because you don't want to spend a lot of money, but you also don't want to be obvious about not spending a lot of money. At any rate, $3.20 later, I can cross this person off my list. Hell - I paid more for two boxes of Baby C's rice cereal yesterday. I really shouldn't complain.

Last year, I made candles for everyone at work. No, let me correct that. I decorated candles for everyone at work. (I don't actually make candles. My old roommate did, and it looks really cool and interesting, but I think I have enough hobbies and crafts in my life, and I ought not pick up a new one - at least, not for another five or ten years.) They were a big hit, and I followed it up with champagne flutes for everyone on Valentine's Day. (The flutes were left over from my wedding. We had a lot of them, more than enough to give everyone in my department a pair of glasses in a decorated bag.) I was off the hook for Easter because I was about ready to have the baby, but I have no idea what I'm going to do about Christmas this year.

A blanket, generic gift seems so impersonal now. Last year, I was still the new girl. I didn't have strong ties to anyone, so decorated candles seemed ideal. This year, there are definitely some who rank higher on my Favorite People list, but because it's work, I can't very well see myself selectively giving presents to only the people I like. Our motto, after all, is Love All, Serve All.

I have to give this more thought, and I need to hurry, too. There are only 24 more shopping days until Christmas, and, for me, only 16 more days to come up with a plan for work presents and execute it accordingly. Ugh.

Merry Christmas - but can I please miss this one this year?