I know this time of year is usually very hectic but this year, I've been blessed with a low-stress December - perfect after such a tumultuous November, election season, car accident paperwork, going almost 2 months already with one car missing in our household, and Tim on an extra long trip that has him gone from Nov. 29 through Christmas Eve.
I am 2 weeks from Christmas and my shopping is completely done, including stockings! Everything is wrapped. I only need to mail out a package to MA and one to FL this week. That's it. I paid cash for all but about $200 (and the cost of my new computer & printed that we desperately needed for important things in January). There's nothing like going into January knowing you paid cash for your gifts and you've paid off the credit card before the 30 days are up so you didn't pay any interest, nor carry a balance into the new year.
I had a wonderful evening of looking at Christmas lights in our area with my youngest who's now in college. I miss driving around with the three of them in the back oohing and ahhing at the lights, something we've done every year since they were born. We got out and walked in one neighborhood getting lots of great pictures (and ideas for next year), as well as drove through another four. So relaxing, no stress, no complaining over work/grades/teachers/employees - just a nice night spent happily together.
I also got to bring my mother-in-law to the annual Dback Nation holiday auction & fund raiser. Every year Jordan and I go to help raise money for the charities important to the Arizona Diamondback players we partner with. We have a silent auction for lots of baseball items, there's raffles and grab bags too. It's a fun night of friendly baseball fans coming together for one purpose. It was great to be able to bring Mom this year. She had a good time, met lots of people who were very nice to her, and she even won a few great items in the raffles and auction. She won the autographed Yasmany Tomas ball she wanted!
I really enjoyed when the ladies in our small group got together for brunch at Mimi's Cafe in Scottsdale and we did an ornament exchange right there at the table. It was great to get together with no time constraints, no daily agenda to cover, just enjoying each others' company. I got each of the ladies a coffee mug that I picked out especially for each of them, based on either how I saw them, or what I wished most for them - things like hope, grace, be still, etc. In the exchange I got an ornament that light up - so fun!
The most stress was when I tried to coordinate schedules for Christmas dinner(s). We're doing a quiet, plated, more formalized meal with just us on Christmas Day but up until today, we weren't sure when that could happen. One son works til midnight Christmas Eve (my original plan), my daughter has to work from 2 am until at least 8 am ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. Isn't that stupid?! The company is closed but her particular franchisee owner decided they WILL be open and already has a banner out front telling everyone. It's so wrong, and so sad to see people who heartlessly destroy family time together so they don't miss out on a few dollars. I bet THEY will be home with THEIR families on Christmas day. Anyway...we're also doing a family meal, buffet style, on the day after Christmas with my in-laws. They're the only family we have within 1000 miles. We've always spent the holidays with the kids' grandparents, and even though they're on a short weekend cruise til the 26th, we didn't want to break tradition. We'll eat with them and exchange gifts when they drive here from the ship's dock in Long Beach, CA.
Hopefully, by the end of the month, Adam will have found and purchased another car. The check has been issued and should be here this week. He was so impressed with how the car held up in such a terrible accident (so were the mechanics who gave estimates), that he'll probably look for the same car - he had a Hyundai Elantra that was about 8 or 9 years old. He may get one that's a bit newer, but it proved itself to be a great car in an accident.
Once Tim gets home, since the kids are working and busy right up until we open our gifts late morning on the 25th, we'll have lots of time to relax and just be together with minimal holiday rush. We can just sit back and rest, enjoying our time together. It'll be long overdue by then.
Hopefully 2017 will be full of wonderful experiences and memories together with family and friends, but for now, I'm happy to just focus on one thing at a time.
