I love Christmas... But...
In the last few years it's been really hard to find my Christmas spirit. I love putting up lights... But husband doesn't... So my penguins aren't even out this year. I could do it, but...
I love being able to find really good gifts. I despise the "gimme" that the kids do. Jett is starting to understand gifts for others, but usually he wants to go into his toys and give those to us. No offense, son, but husband and I have an entire shelf of toys he gave us gathering dust. There's no
thought behind it. He did better this year. I have an annual angel hunt for my Mom - for several years, it was a tradition for her to give my Grandma an angel. Well... Grandma passed on Dec. 21, 2004. And I began giving MY mom angels. Some homemade, some bought... It's getting hard to outdo myself!
But... The whole trying to get the kids to help me decorate the tree, repeatedly yanking husband from his computer to help, making all the food... Pfft. It's not fun when no one else is interested! I clean, I plan... They could not care less... Until they realize it's December 23 and there are NO GIFTS UNDER THE TREE. (This is because the cat chews the paper, but... I haven't had the oomph anyway. They're wrapped.) And Jett is STILL adding things to the list of what HE wants. Onyxx wants this, and that, and buy me this because I need it NOW, um, can you wait till Christmas and see? BUT I NEED IT NOW. (Not a need, a want, by the way.) The whole gimme gimme gimme gimme really grates on my nerves.
I'll be honest... I loved sleeping on my parents' sofa, getting up whem Mom did, drinking coffee and staring at the tree till Dad woke up. Maybe having some breakfast. The leisurely thing that made sure it took well into the afternoon to open all the gifts, and there weren't that many. Even when I had to work, or the first few Christmases with husband and the kids.
Onyxx is being good right now. Of course! But I still didn't sleep well with her upstairs. I highly doubt she's going to do anything right now, she certainly does NOT want to go to juvie. It's just PTSD. husband is cranky, not sleeping well, not really feeling well, stressed out. I'm worried about him.
I love Christmas... But this year... I just want it to be OVER.