Aargh...

The holiday stress finally hit me today. I decided weeks ago to take today off to "finish up" wrapping presents and sending cards. I'm leaving this coming Saturday for my Christmas vacation, so I pretty much planned to have everything done this week. Well, that plan went a bit awry, shall we say. I didn't "finish up" anything! I didn't even have anything to the point that I could attempt to finish it! I had taken a prolonged hiatus from all of my handmade gift-making over the last week or so, so I HAD to get those things done today. I also needed to get on-line and order the few non-handmade gifts I'm giving (first I had to come up with some vague idea of what I wanted to buy). Oh yeah, and I had to actually BUY the cards to send out, not to mention write and address them! Yeah, it suddenly occurred to me about 3:30 this afternoon that I am WAY BEHIND!!! The fact that my sewing machine broke this afternoon - and its key to the crafting process - did not help. So, this post is just a short breather in the long night of crafting I have ahead of me.

I'm trying to take deep breaths...

Christmas Kitsch

After 3 consecutive nights of trying, I finally have my Christmas tree up and decorated. This is my second year having a real tree that I chose myself from a tree lot. Even though my teeny, tiny house is almost too small to move around in comfortably, it is at ground level, which makes it much easier for a single gal to haul a tree in from the car. In past years when I inhabited 3rd and 4th floor walk-ups, I had my Grandmother's old fake tree (apparently, this is a common tradition - see Miss Bess's post regarding the phenomenon) and it really did have a charming, Charlie Brown-esque quality! But, I must say I LOVE having the real tree. I love the smell when I open the door after work, I love the way it glows softly in the corner in the evening. Oddly, my cats pay absolutely no attention to it whatsoever. They both like to oversee the watering of the tree every night before I go to bed - they both have their noses in the tree stand and have a little sip for themselves. But otherwise, they don't even seem to notice it. Hmmm.

My other Christmas decorations consist of a hodge-podge of knick-knacks that I've collected since my college days, and of course my collection of Colonial Williamsburg caroling dolls. I know, I know - its bordering on creepy! Some people really hate these things, but my mother started givng me one every Christmas several years ago, and I've grown rather attached to them. I mean, come on, they're dolls for adults! Anyway, this year I put fresh pine all around them. I think they look pretty spiffy.

So, I hope you enjoy the photos of my holiday decorations. I am an appallingly bad photographer, as my friends know, so I swear my tree really looks better than it does here!

Mission Accomplished!

Well, I've done my good deed for this holiday season! Last night, G, E, L, S and I (otherwise known as Gretchen, Elizabeth, Laura, Sarah and myself) descended on our local Target armed with an Angel Tree tag bearing the name of little 8 year-old girl named Anissa, who's only Christmas wish is for a stuffed puppy dog. Well, she definitely got the stuffed puppy dog - along with a pile of other stuff! I admit, we might have gotten a bit carried away. We spent quite a bit of time in the children's clothing section squealing at the adorableness of various outfits (we also ended up buying her a pink winter coat with matching gloves). And then - AND THEN - we made our way to the toy department. Oh, the toy department! I haven't had so much fun in the toy department since I was an 8 year-old myself! Did you know Cabbage Patch Kids and Care Bears are back in vogue now?!?! I nearly had a child-size fit over the new Barbie TV Food Chef play set that G discovered (oh yeah, we bought it) and E was pretty much obsessed with an automated puppy that fits in its own little purse. It was good fun.

Today at lunch time I took the haul of presents over to the Salvation Army headquarters, and I was happy to see a long line of people dropping off their donations at the same time. Inside, I handed the goods over to an employee, and I made her swear that Anissa and only Anissa would get these presents - we've gotten a little attached to our Angel Tree kid, and I didn't want Anissa's wealth getting spread around. I left feeling very satisfied that at least one kid is going to have a very merry Christmas!

On another note, I watched the annual showing of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the other night, and as always it made me cry. When I was a very little kid my dad thought it would be great to start the tradition of watching that clay-mation classic every year, so one evening while my mom was out he and I sat on the living room floor and watched it. About halfway through I got so upset that I started bawling and begging him to turn it off. I think I've been traumatized ever since. However, I still watch it every year - Cornelius Yukon, Kirby the Elf who wants to be a dentist, Clarisse, Skinny Santa - its just great stuff...

Everyone's an Angel to Someone

So, I'm back from Thanksgiving at home with my parents and the rest of our crazy fam, and I am 100% ready to tackle this whole Christmas thing (well, as soon as I take a few more naps to sleep off the turkey coma that still seems to be lingering!). I think I've mentioned the fact that I plan to make all of my Christmas presents this year, and so far its going pretty well. I haven't had any meltdowns over crafty-project directions that just DO NOT work the way they're supposed to, and both of my finished items look good. I should totally start an Etsy store (well, let's not get carried away)!

Anyway, I have made the decision to deviate from my handmade Christmas plan just a bit, and for good reason. This morning, I read an article in my local newspaper about the incredibly tough time the Salvation Army and other charities are having this year in getting people to "adopt" children, the elderly and underprivileged families through their gift-giving programs. For years, I've been trying to participate in the Salvation Army Angel Tree program, but usually by the time I get my act together all the tags on the trees are long gone. This year, with our failing economy, things are different - and there are a lot of people out there who need help. So, this year, I'm not going to fail these kids - I'm going to give someone a happy Christmas morning, and I'm SO EXCITED about it! Several friends including G are lending a hand - thanks ladies! So, to any of you out there who I haven't already roped into this, PLEASE consider checking out the charities in your area. Here's a link for the Salvation Army program.

Sick Day

Well, I officially have my first cold of the winter. And yes, I realize its not actually winter yet - but its certainly cold enough outside to qualify! I woke up with that tell-tale sore throat on Friday morning and felt progressively worse as the day went on (not that it stopped me from attending weekly happy hour with G and the girls - hope I didn't pass the bug along ladies!). I then proceeded to lay on my couch for the ENTIRE weekend - I watched all 5 Rocky movies (AMC was having a marathon), the entire un-edited version of JFK, the 1980's classic Overboard starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell and a bunch of other mindless movies. I've eaten about 4 gallons of chicken noodle soup (sadly not homemade! I need to make some and stockpile for the next cold), drank equal parts OJ, tea and ginger ale and gone through 2 super-size boxes of Kleenex with lotion added (that was such a great invention). Unfortunately, I was not feeling much better this morning, so I called in sick. So far today, I've watched Good Morning America, The View, and Obama's press conference where he announced his economic team. I'm currently waiting for my next bowl of soup to heat up on the stove. I'm hoping this afternoon that I will have the energy to work on crafty Christmas gifts (I've got one done already, and I must say it looks pretty darn good!). I wish I had somehting better to report, but staring at my living room walls for the last 3 days hasn't given me much inspiration!

Anyway, I HAVE to feel better by the time I go home for Thanksgiving on Wednesday. 1) a stuffy nose will get in the way of my tastebuds enjoying my mother's annual feast, and 2) my dear best friend Miss B is turning the big 3-0 next weekend, and I cannot miss it! Don't worry B - I'm there, even if I have a rudolph nose and a dry cough (bet you're rethinking that invite, now, huh?).

The Joy of Daniel Craig

So, this past weekend, I went with several friends to see the new 007 movie, starring the absolutely gorgeous Daniel Craig. It did not disappoint. He wore a tux. He drove the Astin Martin. He stared with smoldering eyes at various people throughout the film. Oh yeah, and there was lots of spy-stuff, if you're into that. I have always been a big fan of Sean Connery and his version of James Bond, and while Daniel Craig's Bond is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE CONNERY'S I'm okay with it. I'm not really going to watch the 007 movies for the Bond character anyway. I'm going to see Daniel Craig. Really, if Hollywood was smart, they would put him in WAY more movies.

In other news, apparently its Christmas time. I mean the calendar says its November 18th, and Thanksgiving isn't until next week, but apparently its Christmas. So, I'm starting to think about gift-giving, and how I can accomplish it without spending any money. I'm going to try an ambitious plan of for homemade gifts this year (and those of you who read my posts about the blueberry sheets are probably chuckling right now). Unfortunately, I can't really talk about them on this blog until after the holidays, because most of the people I'll be giving them to read it. Suffice it say, though, I have my work cut out for me!

Ain't That America

Its very rare that you actually recognize that you are witnessing a defining moment in history. We all witnessed one last night, and we all know it. As an historian, I can't even begin to put into words what that feels like.

Good job America!