A New Season

Things are new, then they age.  All things created get old, wear out, and must eventually make way for a replacement.  All things.  Thus it is with paramecia, land masses, people, solar systems, and years.

As it was, 2012 wasn't so bad for us at the Tiny House. We had some good times, made memories, were (generally) patient with each other and made progress in many ways.  It was a good calm year, one in which many things happened but none catastrophic and many joyous, for which I am grateful.

We needed a year like 2012. 

For many of you it was not as good, and for that I'm sorry,  I hope you get your 2012 in 2013.  For those who had a good year, I wish more of the same for you.  For those who had a tremendous 2012 - congratulations, please remember it in great detail, and spread the wealth and happiness. 

2013 will bring changes, that can't be helped.  Some changes will be purposeful, some accidental, some welcome and some very much not.  Life is change.  Without it, what would we learn?  I hope that whatever your changes are, that you are blessed with the strength to deal with them without too much stress, to enjoy the positives when they occur, and to breathe deep through the negatives knowing that indeed, nothing is forever.

All my best to all of you, may your burden be light in 2013 and your joys be many.

Tiff

I got a red pot.

Biff and I celebrated Christmas today.  Tomorrow the Things come over and we'll celebrate with them.  Thursday we go to my Mom's house to celebrate with the whole family.  Christmas, it seems, will take nearly the whole 12 days this year.  I can live with that, as I think all this rush-rush and hurley-burley for just one day is too much stress and focus on consumerism, but that's another post entirely.

To slow down even more, this year we I decided that I wasn't going to open any holiday cards until Christmas day.  It seemed like it would be nice to be 'actively participating' in the festivities with those who sent cards on the day they were meant to be appreciated.  Plus which, it would give us something to DO for 30 or so minutes.  And it worked out, I think, inasmuch as each was read by both of us and sometimes commented upon (OK, outright mocked in one case) and sometimes ooh'ed over because some people are super-crafty and creative (TOD, wow!) and always appreciated because people don't HAVE to send cards anymore now that Al Gore invented the internet.  In previous years I've opened each card when they came, then hung them up in a prominent spot so the visual appeal was there, but nobody else really ever read them and soon they were nothing more than something to walk past on the way to get cookies.  So yeah, maybe a new tradition is born, we'll see.

Otherwise, we ate leftover Cap'n Crunch french toast for breakfast, put the angel on the tree, put Baby Jesus in the manger of our cheapo Walmart Nativity, opened gifts, tested out Biff's new toy at the airport, and ate sushi for Christmas lupper.  Super-duty low key day, which is likely to be a good thing given all the hustle and bustle coming up in the next few days.

And while I'd LOVE to be surrounded by family and friends on Christmas, sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.  Doesn't mean a good time can't be had by all those involved.

Whatever your celebrations, no matter how many or few of you were in attendance, may this Christmas and the upcoming New Year find you well, at peace, and absolutely SOAKED in the goodwill I'm sending out via super-secret mojo dance moves.  I'm better than Psy, baby.

Tiff out, in search of boubon cubes.  (NO, not this kind, though that now sounds like something I need to make. Think more like bourbon balls, only shaped like cubes.  Because why be normal?).

The MOST wonderful time of the year, is what I'm telling myself.

Thanks Mentalfloss!

Anybody fully stocked and ready for Christmas or whatever other celebration you might observe that generally coincides with the winter solstice?

I suspect some of you are, as I've been fortunate enough to be in receipt of holiday cards from a couple of folks who blog (THANK YOU, you show-offs!).  How do you DO that?  What's the trigger?  Where do you find the discipline to just sit down and write 'em out?

Good grief - we just bought our tree on Sunday and started decorating it last night - a whole WEEK before the Big Day!  Pretty soon it'll be February and time to take it down again.  Time is flying by and I'm not a huge fan of that action, I must say.

I did purchase Christmas cards, so there's a step in the right direction.  Also had a bunch left over from last year, so the supply isn't an issue.  It's me and my congenital laziness.  Also, we were travelling the first two weekends of December, and by the time there WAS time, it was already almost the middle of the month and that was pretty overwhelming.

To make matters worse, I once again signed up for a Christmas card exchange, so there's 40 extra cards to write out and MORE shame to absorb because 3 days after the list was emailed out I got my first card, FROM AUSTRALIA!  Way to serve up the humble pie there, Ozzie. 

This year I'm not opening up any cards until Christmas day.  It just feels like the season is so rushed, that December is nothing but 'let's get ready' and the day comes with such expectation that almost nothing could be perfect enough to live up to the hype.  Plus which, the Things are with their Dad on Christmas Day, Biff's kids are hundreds of miles away,  thus the celebrating will be for just the 2 of us and that's kind of weird.  It's OK, we both think so, and are fine with it being weird.  So maybe opening a huge stack of cards, opening a few gifts, and listening to the Christmas/Wintersong CD I bought in Williamsburg earlier this month will be it.  Maybe I'll need that time to rest up, because 2 days later we trek to a family gathering, during which time there will be family aplenty, after which time the year turns and it's right back at whatever we're supposed to be doing right now.

Yeah, maybe a few peaceful days alone with the eggnog and Harry and David gift basket goodies is just what we need.

But first, the cards.  Must write the cards.

Amen.