The Christmas party

 Tonight was the AAUW Christmas party. Small group this year; a couple people were out of town for different things and I think a couple people don't go out after dark (driving) any more. For me, it's easy enough; we hold it at my church which is just blocks from me.

I made the raspberry sweet-and-sour turkey meatballs again. I do those every year but they're good, everyone likes them, and they're not difficult to make. And that way even if everyone else brings cookies there's at least one nutritious food. 

This year, though, there was lots of good stuff - cheese, and sausage balls, and dips for crackers, and fruit, and deviled eggs. 

We also do a gift exchange; that's what I made the mitts I posted a picture of yesterday for. The person who got them is someone who will appreciate them and who is a particular friend of mine in the group - a retired Presbyterian minister who is a very interesting person.

I got skunked a little bit on the gifts, though - at first I got a bath set of eucalyptus and spearmint things - body wash, and lotion and foot soak and I was fairly excited for that. But we play "dirty Santa," so things can get stolen.

And mine did. I can't begrudge the woman who did it too much; she is dealing with long COVID and has lost most of her sense of smell and taste and when she smelled the "scratch and sniff to get an idea of the scent" patch on the box, she said "I CAN SMELL THIS" (her sense of smell is slowly returning), so I guess if she's happy, I'm happy.

The second gift I chose though, womp womp - fancy paper plates for entertaining, and napkins, and some round placemat sort of things. I don't entertain, and I don't like using paper plates. I left them in the car to not have to carry them back in the house; I am considering calling the church secretary and see if the women's group could use them as a donation for our Monday night dinner party. Or I'll just leave them in the supply closet there and they might get used eventually.

I'm telling myself not to be disappointed but am failing a tiny bit at it. It was my choice to take a pig in a poke (and open a new gift) rather than steal someone else's - there was a nice candle, but the person who got it (our newest member and a graduate student) was SO excited to get it, and there was a fancy pillow with nutcrackers embroidered on it but I'd only use that one month out of the year and then have to store it, so...the other gifts were not things I'd really want. 

I might just tell myself if I can get out tomorrow afternoon after my meeting to go to the little gourmet shop to look for stocking stuffer things for my mom, if I see something nice I want, I'll get it. (I don't know IF I will be able to get out anywhere else - almost every day of next week is taken up because we have to have zoom meetings like EVERY day next week, and I will have four exams to grade, and all the stuff to move that I need for labs next semester and I am VERY tired. (And this Saturday is zoom knitting, and I want to try to finish my mom's socks, and next Saturday is graduation, and in among all that I will probably have to write a sermon and do some planning for Jan.12 when I get back and....)

So yeah. I do feel a little sad and a little cheated though mainly right now about how busy my life is and how thankless so many of my tasks are and realizing this is just being an adult? No fun, no nice surprises, gifts that you have to say 'thank you' for even if it's not something you want, and doing lots of work you never really hear any thanks for. 

that said? there's not really anything specific I could point to that I want; my mom asked me for gift ideas for Christmas and I kind of flailed. Which I know means to be prepared for nothing that really excites me, but again: I guess this is actually adulthood. I mean, I can think of books I might want and I always like stuffed animals even though I have too many and I like yarn and fun sweatshirts and nice tea but....oh well. 

And no, there really is nowhere else in town I could go to look for some nice small replacement gift for myself unless there's something at the gourmet shop. We are so very small. (If I had time, I'd totally go to Denison, but I expect I won't have time.)

So merry melancholy Christmas, a little bit. I'm hoping I'll feel happier after I get up to my mom's and get a couple nights better sleep in me...