Christmas Musings

Merry Christmas, everyone!

It's been a whirlwind of activity at our house the last few days...what with the normal hustle & bustle of the holidays, we also celebrate my husband's birthday on Christmas Day...which really sucks, when you think about it, as it kinda' gets lost in the whirlwind. Go figure.

Yup - it's not enough that I have 27 people (I counted) on my Christmas list to buy & wrap presents for...it dawns on me every year at the last minute that, "YIKES! I have to buy a birthday present for Hubby!!!!" And then panic sets in.

You would think after 13 years of marriage that I would KNOW his birthday is on Christmas Day and I would buy his gift early.

But nope. Always the last thought on my poor, Christmas-addled brain.

To top everything off this year, Hubby has decided to get sick...he's been suffering from the sniffles for the last few days, and has been pretty much out of action. So, that has left everything Christmas-related to me...

We spent Christmas Eve watching the Chiefs lose (again), and because I have too much ADHD, and can't just sit still and watch a game, I decided to bake.

And bake I did...I baked 3 dozen oatmeal scotchies and 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies...yum. Yum - but kinda' tiring, going back and forth to the oven, over and over again, pulling baking sheets out and putting them in. Again. And again. And again.


Don't they look yummy? And they WERE yummy! Some of my best cookies, YET!

I also made a HUGE batch of delicious Taco Soup in the crock-pot, which simmered and stewed all day...sending wafts of delicious aromas into the air, along with the smells of cinnamon and freshly-baked cookies.

We then put on some fancy clothes and headed downtown to a local theater, for our annual tradition of watching a live performance of "A Christmas Carol." It's always a heartwarming performance, which really gets us in the mood for Christmas, as it sends such a powerful message of love, humility and generosity.


Daughter and I, enjoying some "Dickens" cheer at the theater...

After the show, we headed through the streets of the Country Club Plaza, where we took in the thousands and thousands of lights. The lights have come on now for 82 years, and if you live anywhere near Kansas City at Christmas, then it's almost mandatory to make a visit to the Plaza for the spectacle.


Normally, it's bumper-to-bumper traffic, but we've discovered that it's EMPTY on Christmas Eve - woot!

Then, it was time to come home...it's now about 8:30 pm...and the Taco Soup is now calling our names...yum.

After dinner, we watched "It's A Wonderful Life" on television...we love this movie, and love it even more, knowing that the actress who plays "ZuZu", Karolyn Grimes, lives nearby us....


She even autographed an ornament for me a few years ago which hangs proudly on my tree!

I eventually left the movie a bit early, so I could join my parents for Christmas Eve services at their church. The service began at 11:00 pm, and I was getting a little sleepy (you think???!), but I managed to stay awake and not embarrass myself by sleeping. Or snoring. Hee.

I got home in the wee hours of the morning - around 12:30 a.m...and still had to do "Santa" duty...as Hubby was sound asleep in bed, knocked out by massive doses of cold medicine. Yup - setting out cookies and milk, and then making sure all was in order for the Big Guy's Visit - I finally turned in around 1:30 a.m.

And promptly tossed and turned with insomnia for a few hours.

Sucks being me sometimes.

Anyway, we had a wonderful Christmas, and I hope all of you did, too.

As Tiny Tim says, "God Bless Us, Everyone!"

Peace.