'tis the week before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse.
Several years ago we decided to skip Christmas. Meaning we've given ourselves permission to skip the stress of the "holiday". As a family we talked about the traditions of the season we couldn't live without and surprisingly (to me anyway) I was the only one who had one.
I love love love the lights on a tree so we dug up the small two and a half footer that Donna made for me on my last arctic tour and put it up with the lights.
Kidlet dug it out for me a week or so ago and I've been enjoying the lights every night since.
Other than that, it's business as usual here. Kidlet and I are planning on heading to my sister's for a feast on Monday, weather and my health permitting.
Sis promises a decidedly low-key affair. Just our respective kidlets and the two of us. (Himself is working nights all next week). No dressing up, no gifts just eating and visiting. Kidlet and I will take our new extended version LOTR movie triliogy and if all goes well, we'll spend the night and gorge on food and J.R.R. Tolkien. Woo Hoo!
Don't get me wrong, as usual my mind is brimming with ideas of stuff to do. Crafts to make, gifts to wrap, but the body is not willing. I indulge myself with plans for doing stuff and leave it at that. While gazing out the kitchen window, waiting for the coffee this morning, I thought, wouldn't it be great if I had a body-buddy "on call" 24/7. Then when I got a Grand Idea, poof, the body buddy would appear and take my plans to fruition.
By now we would have purchased some greenery from the local greenhouse and make a swag/wreath to put in the cemetary for Donna (she loved Christmas sooo much and her being gone is one of the reasons we decided to be done with the season all together).
There would be several new beaded ornaments on my little tree. This cute beaded ball arrived in "the cave" with my tree when Kidlet brought it up and who knows where it came from... but I started re-creating one... it's 1/4 done.
Body-buddy would also have sanded and re-painted my little wooden sleigh. I found the cutest design in a tole painting mag and would love to have freshened up my little sleigh. At least I hauled out the tack cloth and gave it a good dusting! So now it sits, in it's old, faded, gaudy red, holding a ceramic snowman ornament under my little tree.
Body-buddy would also have done a little search for the "winter scene" I created a few years ago out of a slab of styrofoam, some large pinecones, cone-flower seed-heads, and lots of clear glitter. I'd like to have that out but let's not push our luck with asking the Hum Bugs for more help.
Until my body-buddy arrives, or this body decides to co-operate, I'll revel in my little lights and watch a DVD instead of all the running around and stressing out of Christmases past. There are a few (very few) perks to having a debilitating chronic illness and this is one of them.
