Christmas

So... it's a funny thing.  When I was a kid, I knew Christmas as a time when parents seemed stressed and us kids got really cool new things to play with.  It was all about gimme gimme gimme to me.

The past several years I've begun to notice that I feel less and less excited about filling up the house full of stuff I don't have a lot of time to appreciate, and more fulfilled by finding ways to give thoughtful, useful, and/or practical gifts.  By thoughtful, note that this can indicate practical jokes... they do require thought and are intended to amuse, not piss off.  At least me.  LOL.  I also very much appreciate the family I ended up absorbing through knowing Dale, and all the time I manage to spend with friends.  Everyone is so busy... it's hard to take anyone for granted when time permits get togethers!!

Some highlights of Christmas this year:

- Mum wrote us a rather lengthy email.  It's unusual for her to write a long email so it was extra special, and her thoughts were equally special (if not more so).

- Spending time with Dale.  I know this is special when I'm focused on it... when I'm not, I sometimes forget just how lucky I am to have him in my life.

- Spending time with family.  I don't get to see everyone nearly often enough.  I don't realize this until I'm actually spending time with them, but when I do, I know just how lucky I am to have married into such awesome people.

- Spending time with the critters.  In the daily rushes of things, I often push myself to give them SOME attention, or whatever they insist I give them.  This year, however, I ended up bunny sitting for a friend and this caused me to spend a bit more time with the guinea pig, too.  I sat on the floor with both of them, and the cats that felt like joining us, for quite some time several times in the last week and had forgotten what it looks like from down there.  Right now, I'm very aware of Gizmo sleeping on my foot... a nice, warm, vibrating black body - OW WITH CLAWS