Better Get A Tree

I'm thinking out loud again about all that still has to be done before my house fills with 25-(always room for more), guests this weekend. Those of you who have been following me, know that this will be our family Christmas weekend.

I'M NOT READY!!!!

Monday, I had a little helper making fudge, hanging some inside lights and singing Christmas Carols. Ben is 3 and ever so anxious to be the best helper he can be. He also is checking the windows constantly to see if he can spot Santa's Elves keeping an eye on him to see if he is being naughty or nice. Due to going a bit over-board on the weekend, Grandma needed a rest so besides testing the fudge we had just made and admiring and counting the lights all day, we read lots of Christmas stories and played trains and race cars.

Today started up at 5 a.m. with DH, packed him a lunch and chatted a bit before he headed off to work. He went without his usual breakfast, dying for a sip of my coffee, poor guy, but had to wait until his fasting blood draw was over at the annual check-up for work.

Mom pulled in around 8 and off we went to pick up her sister, my dear Aunt. They needed a driver for the day and I gladly took over. An hour later we shopped a bit, spent lots of time having more annual tests run, and home again. Ya know how one test runs into the next, well it took up our day. We all agreed that we were just too tired to finish our shopping. Back home by 7 and tuckered out, but we sure had a lot of grins and giggles amidst 3 hrs. on the road.

So, being a one vehicle couple, tomorrow I will take Bill to work so I can pick up Mom again. We are going to pick out our Christmas trees. That is always a highlight of Dec. for me. You have to know my mother to realize what an adventure that can be. Details after the fact. Does this also mean that I have to decorate that tree? I still cannot imagine how Mom ever did it, for it was Christmas EVE before the tree was ever put up, decorated and ready with gifts for each of us 9 kids AFTER we all were tucked into bed and dreaming of sugar plums. She surely had angels helping her., all to make a perfect Christmas Morning for us. Read more about it on CherShots, my sisters blog.

There also are cookies to bake, appetizers, and gifts for 11 Grandloves to get, wrap and seal with love, game gifts to get, and oh, a pickle gift. I cannot forget the pickle gift. My Grandloves would be devastated if Grandma forgot the gift for the first child to find the Pickle on the Christmas tree. If you have not heard of this before, it is an old German tradition to place a pickle ornament amongst the boughs and the first to find it , gets a gift and good luck throughout the year. It's a lot of fun for the kids, and something they cannot wait to do. They seem to enjoy the search as much as the excitement of opening gifts. In the past 15 years, they have only tipped the tree once.

It's a good thing I wire it to the wall, ha?

OH, I have lots of work to do...once again,...so much for simplifying...a word definitely NOT in my dictionary.

Thanks again, for reading and I promise, soon, real soon, there will be pictures to prove I'm giving fact about our Christmas and traditions. I would not fool any of you, for I appreciate the time you take to read here.

Remember: THERE'S A REASON FOR THE SEASON

CHRIST-MAS

BlessYourHearts