My New Camera...

So I almost don't care that I've barely made a dent in the year-end checklist.

The Self-Inflicted Frenzy Continues...

Status of the year-end to-do list? Not going well. In fact, I think I've ADDED more things than I've crossed off today.

Which is making me in a very. bad. mood.

Year-End Frenzy

My list of All the Things I Still Need to Get Done Before the New Year so I Can Start Fresh:

1. Clean out the basement
2. Organize all my files
3. Program all my contacts into my new phone
4. Figure out how to use my new camera
5. Get my 2008 calendar all set up
6. Clean out my mail bin
7. Send out all my/my children's thank-you notes
8. Rewrite/reprint all my FlyLady routines
9. Pick up and organize the whole house including the front porch and closets
   
10. Take a load of Everything We Don't Need to donate to ARC
11. Get caught up on all my magazines so I can recycle them
12. Clean out both my email in-boxes
13. Find and return all overdue library books
14. Return extra Christmas gifts
15. Map out some structure for my weight loss and workout goals
    

And only two days to go...

Frost

Last night when I was blogging, checking email, and just generally minding my own business, I got an email from my mother-in-law. She offered to come over and defrost my freezer this weekend.

Seriously.

Since my relationship with my mother-in-law is too complicated to cover in one post, suffice it to say that I was panic-stricken/suspicious/pissed all at once.

And so, after taking a brief poll of a few unfortunate souls, I feverishly defrosted my freezer this afternoon with my hair dryer and a hammer so that I could email back:

"Actually, I've recently defrosted my freezer--thanks for the offer though!"

And my dignity is still somewhat intact.

The Great Christmas Eve Debate

Me: Oh! We have to remember to eat the cookies and drink the milk that Snacks put out for Santa!

J: Oh yeah, let's move them over here by the stockings.

Me: Okay, make sure to leave a bite of cookie on the plate.

J: Why would we leave a bite of cookie?

Me: So Snacks knows it's the ACTUAL plate the he left out!

J: It'll have crumbs on it so he'll know.

Me: But it looks much more ARTISTIC to have a bite of cookie still left on the plate.

J: But why would Santa leave a bite of cookie?

Me: Because he's getting FULL. He's eating cookies at EVERYONE'S house!

J: Oh yeah...

Santa Comes Through...A Little Early

By sending two elves, in the form of my aunt and uncle who randomly appeared at our door in the middle of a blizzard, to deliver the electric train that Snacks has been POSITIVE he was going to get this Christmas.

He was so excited, he didn't even notice it wasn't the Polar Express Christmas train (THAT DOESN'T EXIST.)

Martha Has "People"

Which is WHY she can do it ALL.

But ME? I got no People. And right now? I'm coming to the realization that I CAN'T do it all. No matter how badly I want to.

So, no mock cherry pie this year. No little bags of homemade toffee to be handed out to everyone at any of the three family gatherings we'll be attending. No gingerbread men for Wendi's kids tomorrow...

So I can focus on what's REALLY important, this holiday season.

Like finding a good pair of elastic waist pants.

June Cleaver Never Needed Elastic Waist Pants

Because she OBVIOUSLY did not start eating her Christmas give-away goodies at 9:45 in the morning (and CONTINUE eating them for the next twelve hours...)

NEXT year, I want to remember NOT to make my gingerbread babies. Because they are too much work and I needed twice as many as I thought I did and, it turns out, they aren't NEARLY as cute as I always remember them to be.

NEXT year, I'll make myself a note to make something easier like Mexican wedding cakes or peppermint bark. And I'll remind myself not to even START eating what I'm making...and continue until I feel sick. And bloated. And no longer have the energy to clean up the mess I made in the kitchen.

And NEXT year, I'll remember not to leave everything to the last minute so that on neighborhood delivery night I am not trying to bag all the goodies while J and Snacks are standing there with their coats on ready to start their route.

But next year I'll ALSO remember how important this annual ritual is to Snacks. How excited he gets planning when he and J are going to go out and knock on the neighbors' doors and surprise them with colorful bags of Christmas treats...

which is REALLY what it's all about.

Sweet Memories

I want to remember forever that today, at 4 a.m., Snacks and I held hands as we walked across the empty parking lot--our coats over our pajamas; Snacks' fleece pant legs stuffed into his boots--and into the grocery store. We were on a Croup Ride and we decided ice cream was just the thing to make him feel better.

He chose Party Mint, and on the way out we saw a table where he could write a letter to Santa:

Dear Santa,

I will be at home and at Grampy's.

Love,

Snacks

P.S. I want an electric Polar Express Christmas train.

And then we walked out, holding hands across the still-empty lot, to drive home and eat our ice cream for breakfast.