Day 2126 To-do's and Must-gets

Yankee Swap with the girls…at least those of us who weren’t sick! We definitely questioned our sanity when we made dinner plans just two days before Christmas, but we quickly decided it was one of the best decisions we could have made. It was much-needed time out with friends, stepping away from all the to-do lists and must-gets.

We each brought a gift, and as each person opened theirs, we all agreed we would have been happy with any of them. Dinner was great, but the main event was the nonstop, entertaining conversation. I truly love these gals. We even swapped tips on last-minute gifts for our guys, and one of my friends shared that she bought the mug I wrote about for hers. Who knew my blog would inspire a purchase?

I got up at 4 a.m. to get my gift wrapping done and felt so much better heading out for the day with the bulk of my work already finished at home. The magic of Christmas isn’t always easy to produce! I squeezed in some shopping during my lunch break and found Tim that one last gift that I think will be a hit. I believe I’m officially done.

I’m so excited to have a house full and will be home early for Christmas Eve, thank goodness! With everyone coming over for dinner, there’s lots of cooking to do. Tim was quick to point out that when I wrote about the president giving people the day before and after Christmas off, that only applies to federal workers… and just for this year. Way to crush a gal’s dreams! Oh well, even if I have to use my own time to take the days after off, it’s worth it—and I can pretend it was a presidential decision if I want to.

For those of you waiting for my cat update… she and I shared a moment. I stepped into the basement to feed her, and she was out, right next to her food. We both froze, staring at each other, and it was a standoff for at least a minute. I slowly backed away, showing her I’m not a threat, and talked to her softly as I did. It’s been three weeks since we brought her home....one of these days she’s bound to realize I’m not all that bad!

Christmas is my favorite holiday and always has been. It’s worth every minute of chaos it brings… so bring it on. Maybe the magic of Christmas will inspire the cat to come out....or maybe she'll be more of a Valentine's cat? 

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” — Hamilton Wright Mabie

Don’t you just love that quote?