Hey kid, you'll shoot your eye out!

Merry Christmas!(Happy Holidays!)

How can you turn on the TV without running across A Christmas Story? My hubby is sleeping, the kids are at their dad's until tomorrow and the dogs don't realize it is Christmas. As for me, I've gotten an opportunity to look through recent photos and reflect a bit. I have knitting on the needles that begs me to pick it up...and I will, in a moment. I flipped on the TV and A Christmas Story was on right at the point that Ralphie visits Santa.


I Wrap, Therefore I Am

Thank goodness for my hubby (and Bugg)! I loathe wrapping all of those Christmas presents. The shopping, I can handle, paying the bills? not a problem. The wrapping just gets me. I believe these feelings have their foundation from The Wrapping of Christmas' Past. When the kids were little, I pretty much did all of the wrapping when I could find time when they were not under foot. This translates to: late at night after their bedtimes, after work, after...being the single mom for the day. It was exhausting and with three kids, it was another job. The result was always worth it - if you're a mom, you know what I mean - but until the moment came when they ripped (literally) through every piece of tape and paper that took hours upon hours to assemble in seconds flat - the payoff was difficult to imagine.


Fast forward 10 years (exactly where did that time go?) and things look dramatically different. Blocks and Big Wheels have been replaced with I-Pods and video games. "The" items to have" come with hefty price tags and usually need smaller pieces of wrapping paper. We're at the bunny pj scene, now We also have an easier time getting the kids to understand what we are truly celebrating. They take time to watch each other open their gifts and share a particular story or two about how or why they chose a special gift.

Anyway, back to the wrapping...my desire to wrap has greatly diminished. I do enjoy seeing everything under the tree adorned in bright colors and ribbons. Thankfully, my family jumps in to bail me out year after year. He just shot his eye out! Bugg wrapped nearly everything that wasn't from Santa (yes, he still brings presents to our house on Christmas Eve). The items that she didn't have time to do were stuck in a bag, slapped with a name tag, and placed under the tree. Santa dropped off the Christmas Eve presents unwrapped this year and hubby helped. These are the items that the kids couldn't help wrap even if they were home. So, we prepared a glass of Christmas cheer (Bloody Mary) and dug in until it was complete. We were then rewarded with a couple of The Sopranos episodes from the fifth season. That is addictive!


The Knitting

Due to giftability, I can't post much about my current project. I can say that I am nearing completion and it is a scarf for Kristy. Kristy was my scarf pal from International Scarf Exchange 3 who made my beautiful scarf, but never received hers from her assigned knitter. I've been working hard to complete it in the hope that she will be able to use it this year (maybe if she visits my neck of the woods). The pattern is interesting and I am enjoying the knit.

Photos of the finished Christmas gifts along with a completed UFO photo will come soon. With that, I am off to have some coffee and enjoy a few minutes of solitude.

Happy holidays, my friends. May your day be peaceful and your travels be safe.