Sunday, January 2, 2011

And the holidays are yet again over for another year

Now I understand that the holiday season is crazy busy for everyone. However, I must say I do think ours is a bit crazier than most.

The twins birthday is mid November, we usually have a party at home. Usually feeding a lot of people.

Once the birthday party has been completed, its time to get out Christmas decorations, movies, music, etc. This is typically when I start to pick up hours at the store, and every other weekend I work about 16 hours to my normal 12. Doesn't sound like much, but trust me, when you only have 24 free hours every week, those four are sadly missed.

The annual Christmas training (aka party at Jean's) usually happens the weekend of the birthday party.

The tree goes up the weekend after the party. (This year it didn't go up until the second weekend of December) Various decorations are distributed to their respective locations. We begin Christmas crafting. Moonlight madness happens (where I work until 11 pm on a Friday night having already worked a full week) I start panicking that I won't get everything done in time. We do a little baking. My Mom's birthday happens a week before Christmas. This is about the time that I realize I forgot something major for the kids (this year it was movies). The second moonlight madness occurs. Lord help me if they ever add a third.

Keep in mind that with school, I am usually finishing a course around this time. This typically means a big, major assignment.

I go shopping for whatever is left that I haven't gotten with all my pre planning. I get whatever groceries I estimate we will need, it will not be enough. I stock up on coffee. Lots of it.

I bake, cook, and generally help to prepare for the big day. I pack up the dog, the kids (alternating years), the presents (last year I sent a truck load ahead with my dad) and head for Sydenham. We visit, we eat, and my dad usually has presents he needs wrapped that night...he doesn't pre plan well. Then mom needs a hand with last minute wrapping....this year all of it. I tuck the kids in if they are with me, sneak the santa stuff downstairs, eat the cookies and leave crumbs, drink some of the milk, and sprinkle sparkles (fairy dust). Then attempt to relax enough to sleep. By this point I am so tired I have lapped around to wide awake.

I sleep a few hours, we wake up, drink coffee, do the Christmas morning thing, do the Christmas day thing, then the dinner thing. We head home, unpack - usually this entails Mark filling his car too- tuck the kids in or take them to their Dad's house, stay up putting toys together, and pass out on the floor, wake up cold, go to bed.

Boxing day, I work. We have fun and we drink more coffee.

Then a few days later, New Year's Eve and then my birthday.

Kinda makes January the 2nd look like the most beautiful day of the year.

No comments:

Post a Comment