Christmas Time Is A-Changing

We became accustomed to young children waking us up at 4:00 a.m., then at 4:30 a.m. and then again at 5:00 and perhaps even 5:30. By 6:00 we'd drag our wobbly legs out of bed and gather around the Christmas Tree (often times before our first coffee of the day) squinting at all the bright lights that the children have flicked on at this ridiculous hour of the morning. We help the youngest, whomever that may be at the time, sort and hand out the gifts and the kids proceed to viciously unwrap the long awaited presents.With lots of oooohs, aaahs, thank-you-very-muches, and sometimes tears (usually due to lack of batteries in a particular toy) we make it through our annual Christmas morning ritual.

Things have changed over time and so this year was totally different. Mike was woken up by the canine duo at about 6:30 and took them for a walk. When he returned, he shoveled snow, fed the mutts, made himself a coffee and clicked around on the TV remote only to find himself a '70's movie with Jeff Bridges as an alien and waited patiently for everyone else to get it together. I crawled out of hibernation about 7:15, made myself a coffee and continued working on my crochet basket until, well, whatever it is I'm waiting for, oh yeah, for everybody else to get up. Our oldest worked a night shift and headed home to bed right after his shift this morning and informed us through texts that he won't be arriving at our house until at least noon because he's "dangerously" tired. (I get that!) The other two offspring nonchalantly start their day later in the morning.

When did this all change?

Whatever Christmas morning brings us now is okay. We have to face the facts--our kiddies are growing. We still (eventually) get together by the tree, open our gifts and I can still hear the oooohs, aaaahs and thank-you-very-muches (no more tears, thank goodness). You won't see huge piles of gifts under our tree anymore because many gifts have taken a turn towards the more creative side and are given to their recipients earlier or later than December 25th. (Besides, it was those nasty, battery-sucking toys that hogged all the room under the Christmas Tree.)

And sure, sometimes I miss being with family from other parts of the country but for the most part we enjoy our quiet, low-key little Christmases. We still enjoy a traditional cooked turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce....and don't forget homemade cookies and trail mix. We hang around the house, play games, talk and watch movies (and over eat!)


As I can only hope for grandchildren, like many women my age have already, ahem, I won't put any of that pressure on my own children. Christmases are just changing for us and honestly, if I will be looking for more excitement during the holidays, maybe it's time for giving back to the community .......volunteering at the soup kitchen? ....visiting people at the hospital?

Who knows what future holidays will bring!

Dieting, Not A Piece Of Cake

Something really strange happened to me earlier this year. I can't explain how it happened or why it happened but no amount of excuses will justify the fact that it happened to me. You see, I gained 25 pounds within a rather short period of time. And, no, I'm not pregnant. It doesn't matter how many times I sweet-talk my bathroom scale, it will not back me up.

I love food alot. I realize I don't have to eat every meal like it's my last supper. It's too bad that I have many weaknesses. Oh. My. Goodness.....even the wine I have consumed in the past year.....I could've opened my own little liquor store. I know for certain that wine is NOT good for the waistline either.

I'll admit, I'm getting older and my metabolism is slowing down (and I need to get my ass to a gym) but my walks in the early hours just are not cutting it anymore.

I don't want to live out my days where my husband and I point at each other's bellies and laugh. Or listen to our bodies make noises when bending over with tight jeans that should ...just...be....thrown....away already.

I've gained and lost weight before and what used to work for me is getting myself in the mindset that I don't need to eat until I pop a button. That concept was easier when I was younger though. I know I'll never look as thin as I did in my 20's and that's okay because I'm not so sure my kids would recognize me.

As I'm fretting about my weight, I often think about those Dove ads where they want women to love themselves for whom they are. The ads show women of all ages, colors and body types and sizes. I absolutely love those ads because they (presumably) use "real" women, not actors. These ads make me think differently. The commercials are obviously designed to make you want to buy their products but I'm past that....I'll buy what I want to use but I like the idea behind the promotion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DdM-4siaQw
This video brings me to tears every time I watch it. What makes us think we're not worthy of going through the "beautiful" door. C'mon! We must watch too many celebrities on TV and flip through too many magazines with photo-shopped models adorning the pages because many people are confused about the definition of beautiful. Including me sometimes.

I'm not trying to make excuses for the amount of chocolate and other treats I plan on consuming during the Christmas season....no, no, no...I will make an honest effort to stop myself from stuffing my face like a hamster and get some much-needed exercise.

I smell a New Year's resolution coming on!

Christmas Time's A-Comin'

Ah yes, the season is upon us. I've decorated the house...as good as it's going to get. I've started the shopping although I'm not as organized with the Christmas shopping as I should be. My list of giftees changes almost every year mainly because I'm sort of grinchy when it comes to buying gifts for people who I don't see very often. It's not that I'm not thinking of them. It's that I'm just not very good at keeping in touch.

Do not fear, my Martha Stewart-type friends, I really do have more than just a tree decorated.

 The most exciting thing for me about Christmas time is the time off I take from work and having the family home with no commitments for a few days. I like to do what I want for once whether it be bullying a family member to play a game of crokinole or just shuffling around the house and looking out the window every now and then.....or quilting....or reading.....or blogging. I may even make a few phone calls to my siblings (with a glass of wine in hand.)

This game is calling my name.

On my to-do list: buy more wine.

My favorite movies to watch during these holidays are Stand By Me, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I don't like to go out in the cold during my Christmas time off if I don't have to and I enjoy eating copious amounts of chocolate. I'm unhealthy as it gets during this self-confinement period.

No worries, if you're dropping by my house for a visit, I will roll out the red carpet.....with wine and coffee stains maybe, but rolled out nonetheless. 

(Here's a stand-up comedian talking about when company would stop in 20 years ago as opposed to today. I can relate to it in so many ways! )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Swzvm-gXHg

But really, I'm not that selfish to think that these holidays are all about me, me, me. My Mennonite-ness taught me that Jesus is the reason for the season.  We can't forget that our women and men in uniform have played a huge part of giving us choices on how we want to spend our Christmas holidays. And of course I need to thank my parents. Mom and Dad raised a human being with common sense and a sense of humour...although I've been known not to utilize either one...but all in all, they did what they knew how to do.

Merry Christmas everyone! Stay safe and warm this holiday season!