Merry Stressmas!

Hello Yule-all.

Today is the Winter Solstice and I would be remiss if I failed to mention the wonderful Lunar Eclipse that took place early this morning.  Of course, in Minnesota it has not stopped snowing for a second in the last few weeks, so the sky has been hidden behind those lovely gray snow clouds that we've all come to love so much.

I've decided to lighten the tone today so consider it an early gift.  My last post was perhaps a bit on the dark side.  Can I cross over?  We'll see.

Overwhelmed by the Christmas season and the amount of little (and big enough to cause headaches) things  that have gone wrong in the last two weeks, I've been getting little sleep.  My doctor seems to have little sympathy and is letting me figure it out on my own, so I've been self medicating with poppies and Sleepytime Extra.  I'd drink wine until I pass out, but alas, alcohol only serves to add to insomnia.

Ethan's Birthday is fast approaching and he has been buzzing with excitement for weeks. We will be taking him to the city tomorrow.  He has requested to go to the Lego Store, where he will be able to purchase (within reason) the Lego set of his choice.  We will then celebrate his birthday with a small group of family and friends.  His birthday isn't until Friday, but getting our friends to come over on Christmas Eve is always difficult.  It is so special to watch his excitement take over during this season.  It truly is a magical time for him,  and this year has been made extra wonderful by the crazy amount of snow we've had recently.

Our good neighbor was nice enough to blow us out since our snowblower isn't in the best of shape this year, and has fallen behind on the list of many to-do projects.  Our driveway is complicated by its length and a curve on a hill, so his help is greatly appreciated.

I have been preparing for the holiday over the last few weeks and trying to deal with the events that have been hindering my progress, which I should come to expect by now.  Unexpected snow and unexpected financial woes.  Nothing too large to handle with the appropriate coping skills.  Never mind the fact that I still am very much learning what these coping skill things are and so my use of them is still kind of unreliable.

Nonetheless, I've managed to order Christmas presents which will hopefully arrive before the holiday, begin holiday baking, and cement some sort of Holiday plan.   After more flip-flopping than has ever happened in Washington, we have decided to stay home to enjoy a more relaxed Christmas Eve & Day.  Ethan had requested traveling to Terel's family Christmas in Iowa, where we could have then stayed and celebrated with my family the following day.  However, it has been confessed that Terel and I were both secretly dreading this plan for oddly similar reasons.  I hope it causes no offense to my family readers that we just can't deal with the stress of being social.  It's been a hard couple years for us, so please, continue to be understanding.   Staying home will also save us a bunch of cash in a time when cash is hard to come by.  We would like to see everyone, but it will have to happen another day.  And for those of you who are able to come, you are always welcome to visit!

I do have one Christmas Wish I'd like to see fulfilled:  Heathrow to resume all flights and send my little brother home so that he doesn't have to spend Christmas alone!  Good Luck Steve!

Although I have been spending sleepless nights re-reading a Brontë sister classic (or three),  I have been also enjoying this winter season more than I have enjoyed the freezing weather of the past.  Perhaps I have caught some of my dear Son's enthusiasm, perhaps I am just becoming resigned to loving Minnesota for what it is.  Either way, I am happy to share this happy season with my children.  Two of them love the outdoors and the snow more than almost anything, and the other, well, he tries.  I'm sure there is a video game with snow in it that he loves.

I hope that everyone out there can take a step back from the mess of expectations for this holiday and treasure the things we already have, or have had in our lives.   I can feel the Force in me draining, so I will stop before I get too far away from the dark side with my happy little holiday hopes.

Much peace and simple joys.