Stay on target

Happy Christmas Eve Eve to everybody! When I was a kid today was the hardest day because you were just so dang close to the candy and presents and yet it still wasn't an official sort of day.

Am well into my Christmas preparations and activities, as evidenced by the following:

Finished decorating tree, which was an exercise in blending of family traditions. I insisted on white lights, which are the only true lights. The compromise we made was that if the lights couldn't be colored (racist) then they would at least sparkle. So we found a pack of white lights with 16 different sparkle settings. Twelve of these are seizure-inducing. I also let GH get the tree topper that he wanted. The box says it's a Moravian star but I'm pretty sure it's actually an alien satellite. It's growing on me though, probably because of the soothing messages it transmits from the mother ship while I sleep.



Successfully staving off a cold through sheer force of WILL.

Digging out the flute so I can play a few songs on Christmas Eve for Savvy and Ethan (stated purpose). Real purpose: so we can have a Very Special Christmas Meltdown when I won't let the kids have a turn spitting into the thing and smacking it into walls.

Purchased duct tape to hold my broken camera together so that I may take photographs of me and others looking bleary-eyed and snarly-haired. Unwrapped duct tape to learn that freshly unwrapped duct tape smells remarkably like rotting skunk. Spent the next 3 minutes dry-heaving.

Driving white-knuckled through snow in an effort to visit friends and family. My favorite.

Trying to work out enough time over the holidays for both families and possibly some for self without disappointing anyone. To see how this is going, watch the final bit of Braveheart where he's stretched out on that rack being yanked in 4 directions as people carve out his intestines and whisper things in his ear.