Surviving The Holidays
In an interesting twist, this year looks to be the calmest Christmas my family's had in years.
Well, Christmas Day should be calm-ish, anyway. Between now and then, there will hopefully be the arrival of a brother-in-law and the moving of my parents to their actual permanent home (at the moment, it lacks things like complete plumbing and fully insulated anything). In the meantime, we get to have Thanksgiving with all five of us for the first time in a few years and plenty of family shindigs, meaning there will be no calm until Christmas itself.
As the whole retail empire gears up for the Big Season, the snow starts piling up, and my own family starts making solid plans, I'm finding myself resisting.
It's not a lack of excitement. I love this time of year. I'm even (sort of) excited about the snow. I'm thrilled that we all get to spend a couple holidays in one place (and that one of those may even involve both Jay and Miss M, for the first time ever).
But wow, has it been hard to work up the enthusiasm to leave the house.
Between the snow and the "Holy-crap-why-are-there-Christmas-trees-everywhere" gut check whenever I walk into a department store, I haven't been willing to leave the house. I want to -- I'd like to get all my shopping out of the way so I can relax. Or be more free to move my parents in a month. One of those.
Instead, I find myself holing up at home with Harry Potter marathons, late-night coffee and more baking than is healthy.
What can I say? We all have our coping mechanisms.
Well, Christmas Day should be calm-ish, anyway. Between now and then, there will hopefully be the arrival of a brother-in-law and the moving of my parents to their actual permanent home (at the moment, it lacks things like complete plumbing and fully insulated anything). In the meantime, we get to have Thanksgiving with all five of us for the first time in a few years and plenty of family shindigs, meaning there will be no calm until Christmas itself.
As the whole retail empire gears up for the Big Season, the snow starts piling up, and my own family starts making solid plans, I'm finding myself resisting.
It's not a lack of excitement. I love this time of year. I'm even (sort of) excited about the snow. I'm thrilled that we all get to spend a couple holidays in one place (and that one of those may even involve both Jay and Miss M, for the first time ever).
But wow, has it been hard to work up the enthusiasm to leave the house.
Between the snow and the "Holy-crap-why-are-there-Christmas-trees-everywhere" gut check whenever I walk into a department store, I haven't been willing to leave the house. I want to -- I'd like to get all my shopping out of the way so I can relax. Or be more free to move my parents in a month. One of those.
Instead, I find myself holing up at home with Harry Potter marathons, late-night coffee and more baking than is healthy.
What can I say? We all have our coping mechanisms.
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