Wiped Out by Christmas Night

The whole month of December has been dedicated to this day. The decorating, throwing holiday parties, the presents, the wrapping, the cooking, the friends and family and the celebrating all for a child who was born to save us. Well, now I’m wiped out.

It all went well. All the planning paid off. Santa came and was merry. We had a most lovely Christmas with FaceTime with Claire and her sweet family. Then my mother was delivered with my most elf like sister Janet. We had white elephant present stealing games which was kicked off by Janet opening a car vacuum she was most excited about. And my mother mumbled out loud, “I really want that vacuum.” So of course she stole it from my sister. And even though everyone wanted it, no one dared steal it back from my mother.

And so the whole white elephant went, round after round with my mother getting the best of all the gifts. If she wanted it, she got it. Russ selflessly stole things he thought I wanted. Janet, who brought many of the gifts got the short end of the stick, but did not get any garden pots.

We played round and rounds of Play Nine and Carter ending up winning both games. No prizes were involved, but we could have played it late into the night.

I made a big yummy Christmas dinner ending with Carter’s Sticky toffee pudding, a favorite of our English loving family.

As the sun was setting Janet and mom rode off in Janet’s sleigh, back to Mom’s house. And I was spent. And now Christmas is over and I am going to need to hold on to this Christmas spirit though the next 12 months because I am fearful that the Grinch could make things less joyful. I am going to wish as hard as I can that the spirit will embody all the grinches and that their hearts will grow three sizes by next Christmas.

So for all you Christmas lovers, keep the spirit bright. We have to bring the light into the world everyday, as if it is always Christmas because we can not let the darkness ever diminish the light. I may be exhausted today, but tonight I will sleep so that tomorrow can also be a joyful day.