Going all out

Yes, I said I am having to watch my pennies (at least until I get the next bank statement and can verify my suspicion I forgot to enter some pay). But I ordered a vintage-style tree-skirt today for about $30.

Because I need a tree skirt now, with the bigger tree. (I will photograph it when it arrives Friday - yes, I know it's fashionable to hate Amazon now but when you live in Beyond Far East like I do, it's a blessing to have two-day shipping on things, because almost nothing can be obtained locally, and what can, is often "Wal-Mart Quality," meaning, "not that great").

I also kind of want to get a small advent calendar. Not necessarily one of the ones with little toys or chocolates, one with just little windows you open to see a picture would be enough. My parents still have the one my mom made when I was about 3 and I am sure they will have it up, and I'll get to do the last few days....but I want one for myself, for now.

I have cards to send - cards for distant friends and relatives, cards for the CPAAG card swap (and a few extras, and I asked the swapmom to send me addresses of people who can't participate, but would like a little extra cheer.

(And if YOU would like a card from me - e-mail me your mailing address. I have Snowy Day stamps! And I love sending out cards, I really do, so it's not a burden on me. And also, it looks as if the "card thief" issue has been resolved: someone was arrested in our local PO for pilfering the mail this summer.

If you request a card, I can't promise it won't come covered in My Little Pony or SpongeBob stickers, though. I have many stickers and I like to use them freely)

I'm in a mood to go all-out for Christmas this year (evening plans tonight: pick up the living room a little and get out the various Christmas themed pillows and stuffed toys, and my manger scene)

Because 2017 has been equally unpleasant to 2016 (culminating today with Ronnie's death) and I NEED it. I need the happy fun nostalgic times of remembering past Christmas, and also the making-of-peaceful-and-pleasant-memories-in-the-now for the future.

I set up my window-candles the other night: these are LED things, that flicker, and are on a timer so they come on around 5:30 pm (as it's getting dark) and they stay on....I don't know how long...6 hours, maybe? They take AA batteries which last a surprisingly long time, so they keep lighting through the whole season and well into January and February. And I have the fairy lights and the over-the-window swag, and my tree lights....and I need all those little lights, because the world sometimes seems so dark.

And I'm ready to do baking. I might attempt a chocolate-chip crumb cake (from scratch) for the annual departmental Finger Foods feast. And I'm going to do the turkey meatballs for AAUW and another round for the church's "Jesus' Birthday party" (and I might bake some cookies for that, too, if I'm extra ambitious) 

It does look like I'm on tap for editing Saturday (sigh), so I lose that whole day. But next weekend - dangit, next weekend I'm going antiquing. (Or maybe Friday afternoon next week - I don't have my 11 am class as it's a small class and we were able to schedule all the presentation times Monday and Wednesday. I let the class vote on a "skip day" and almost unanimously, they voted Friday....I might have chosen "lab time Wednesday afternoon" if it were just me, but I decided to go with what the students wanted).

I also need to pick out my Toys for Tots gift - to keep up the little tradition of buying a gift *I* would have wanted as a kid and donate it so hopefully some kid who wanted the same thing, but had no hope of getting it, gets it.

I'm also thinking, if my dad is still not so up and around when I get up there for Christmas, I'm going to offer to obtain the stocking goodies this year. (And then go to the Fresh Market or somewhere equally nice and buy REALLY GOOD candy, and also try to source a few fun little items).


I dunno. I like doing small gifts like that. I dearly wish we did secret santas at work like we did when I was in grad school - those were some happy times, figuring out what little things to get your person and how to get them to them without them finding out. (One year I had a labmate and she was MYSTIFIED as to how the stuff showed up on her desk. Hand to God, she didn't suspect it was me until the "reveal" at the holiday party. It was awesome and I laughed so hard at her surprise. Because all along she was saying to me stuff like, "But you were in the lab, didn't you see the person come in and leave it?" And I'd just shrug and go, "Well, I went to get a drink of water down the hall, maybe they came in then" and similar misdirection. My labmate was a little naive, which was what made it extra fun - someone else would have probably gone straight to "It was you, wasn't it?" but she never did)

(We do do a "holiday gift" - cash - to the secretary and the custodian, on the grounds that the staff people here are really quite poorly paid for the amount of work they do, and that we, as faculty, can afford to send a little bonus their way).

But yeah. I want to spend the next month or so: (a) being generous, especially to people I love, (b) arranging to have food - either for myself or for others - that we don't normally get, (c) spend more time crafting, especially fun crafts like crocheting toys, (d) enjoying lights and seasonal songs and cute pretty things and all that.

And I don't know what else. I'm trying to think of Christmas things I could do but don't already....the decorations are up, the gifts have been chosen and bought, I'm planning on my Toys for Tots thing, I'm planning on some special food things.....I don't like driving on interstates at night so going to see the light displays a couple cities near here do are out, unless someone else offers to drive.