The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Oh, it's been a busy few days finishing up Christmas running (I just accidentally typed "funning" -- Freudian slip? I think NOT :-) and frolicking and such.

Yesterday I was gone ALL day -- trying to get my stuff done early in the day before the crowds got awful, then met a friend, then had just a few more things to do, then finally home at almost 5. Do you know what one of my kids had done out of sheer boredom? Cleaned my house!! Wow!

I am still figuring out how Christmas will look in my new house, and on a tight budget, so no additional decorations for us this year. I have just not felt like dragging out my Christmas China or much when I'm too overwhelmed to figure out where to put anything. In short -- Christmas, I'm just not that into you this year.

Maybe just the last 7 days have helped me get there. And for some reason, it has started with fall. Texas doesn't usually do fall. Brutal summer, then harsh winter -- but no fall. But for some reason this year we have had really beautiful color. We were so hot and SO dry for SO very long, but a few weeks ago (maybe 6 weeks ago) had a really rainy week and the trees went crazy with color. It's SO pretty and the temperatures have been nice and cool, but no hard freezes to make the leaves fall off. This lovely tree is in my backyard. The sun hits it in the morning and just makes it look like it's on fire.

Another thing to help me get in the Christmas spirit is simply time (and fun time, at that) with my family. I have asked for two things for Christmas: 1)to go to the Gaylord Texan and enjoy the ICE exhibit as a family and 2)to get our pictures taken as a family before the end of the year (still waiting). We went to the Gaylord last Saturday. It was wonderful and did not disappoint. Yes, they put a bajillion people a day through the hotel and the ICE exhibit. Yes, they bring in 18 bajillion dollars because of that. (I don't wanna know what they spend on cooling that place, though -- they keep it at NINE degrees and could only leave the door open for 25 seconds at a time to let people in and out). But let me put in a good word for it. The employees were all SO helpful and friendly. Everything was done VERY well.

"And Frosty and the Christmas Penguin watched over him by night."

The big blue suits are "one size fits all" parkas that everyone gets. They have adult parkas and child parkas. Look at my nose under Shrek. Quite red. For most of the time, I pulled my turtleneck over my nose. To which Ashley declared I "looked ridiculous..." (At what point do teenagers realize we DON'T CARE how we look??) My hands would have been okay -- since the sleeves of the parka were plenty long enough to keep them tucked inside, but I kept taking pictures with my (metal) camera, which I'm assuming was also 9*. Brrrrr. My hands were truly in pain by the time we were finished. But I still really enjoyed it, and just the time at the hotel, all done up for Christmas. You could see Santa, decorate gingerbread men, etc. So fun.
One more thing to get me in the Christmas Spirit is seeing all the Christmas decorations around our neighborhood -- and laughing at many of them. And, while I say this, please listen to my disclaimer: you know I love the Lord with all of my sinful and flawed heart. But if you are going to put a plastic representation of Him on your lawn next to a penguin, and/ or let the elements have their way with Him, then I am going to laugh. And I think that the Lord is laughing, too. That doesn't make me a horrible person that doesn't love Jesus. It makes me a person who knows good humor when I see it.
 These first people put every Christmas lawn ornament they could find in their lawn  -- right next to the nativity scene. And that makes me laugh.

"Mary and Joseph, blown over at parenting the God-child."

This one is just an unfortunate run-in of Joseph and Mary and some wind, I believe. Yet sweet baby Jesus is still so serene. Sleep in heavenly peace, sweet Jesus. Sleep in heavenly peace.
Riley and I saw this when we walked up to his middle school earlier this week to do some running on the track. Only 48*. Failed to notice that the wind was blowing 20 mph. We were both frozen popsicles by the time we got back. But we had a great picture of the Holy family, blown over.

One thing we haven't done that I would really like to do -- perhaps I should add it to my lame Christmas list? -- is to go look at Christmas lights! That is my favorite.



What about you? Did you have to work to find the Christmas spirit (like me?) Or are you full-bore holly jolly Christmas? What's up for you now?