Twas the Week Before Christmas, And All Through The House

Another wintry weekend in store...but at least it's finally the first day of actual winter rather than fall....now that's a switch. I see that much of our nation is under the gun with winter in full swing. There are feet of snow coming down by the hour in the Cascade Range to our East and the Oregon Coastal Range to our West. Portland is nearly at sea level....our house is at about 250 feet. We escape some storms with simple driving rain. Other times, we get hammered with severe wind and ice. It's always a crap shoot.

Today was a trip to Las Vegas and back for me....complete with a lovely lady dressed to the hilt and sipping on Courvoisier. There was nothing unusual until she proceeded to stand in the center aisle of an airplane on a mobile phone conversation and dive into the language of a truck driver. There she stood in her pretty little hat, beautiful hair cascading out from under the hat, and her potty mouth in full swing. And loud, may I add. Did it matter than 150 other people stood within spitting distance of her? Um, no, not so much. I'd have spit on her but I don't waste my hard-earned spit on trash (well, sometimes I do...but that's a whole other bottle of wine). I'd call her classy...except that it'd be a lie.

We've got an amazingly full Saturday planned.....up at 03:40am for a trip to San Jose and back. Then coffee with our former neighbors, a follow-up trip for hubby to the eye doctor regarding his new contact lenses, then drinks at Crush for a friend's 39th birthday party (yeah, right, sure you're 39), and then a trip to his home for some coconut cake concocted from the recipe files of Ms. Paula Deen (um, yeah, like that's on my list of eatable treats....I've asked for unadorned carrot and celery sticks to be served....on a silver tray).

Christmas Eve will bring work in the morning followed by some sort of delicious meal at our house during the dinner hour with my recently widowed mother in law. Following dinner we'll listen to my brother in law's radio program from San Luis Obispo, California, streaming on the WWW. Late night Christmas Eve will bring one of our favorite activities of the year -- an organ concert on the GIANT pipe organ at a church that we occasionally attend followed by a traditional candlelight service and then singing of carols outside in downtown Portland at midnight. Christmas morning will be spent with just the three of us, pick mommy in law up around noon, dinner at our house at 3pm, and then maybe a movie on the TV. Friday is completely filled up with preparations for the trip outlined in the next paragraph.

We're getting very excited for our trip to Albany, New York, next Saturday the 27th to see our buddy Sean and his hubby. I've met these two handsome and polite men....my honey has not. it's the first time we've ever gone away during the holidays. It snowed in Albany all day today....I hope the roads keep clear for their trip to Boston to retrieve us from the airport next Saturday afternoon. Hats and gloves will be packed.

I've been reading about many of you who are just not quite in the spirit this year (whatever that really means). It's amazing to me how much emphasis is put, and money spent, on one single solitary day on the calendar each year. And, I must add, that I feel differently this year than ever before. Not necessarily sad or depressed or any of that. But different. Low key. Subdued. Which is good for me. We've been putting tons of emphasis on the gym and yoga....and that's one of the greatest holiday gifts ever to ourselves. And our trip to Albany will be a heck of a way to ring in the New Year. But as far as the traditional buying/spending/eating/partying scene, we're not delving into it this year....thankfully. I just can't support the commercialism, the hype, the emotions and everything behind it. I stick with what I know.....my home, my honey, my pooch, my friends, my family, simplicity, no drama, easy and good times. To celebrate with those near you should happen daily, year round. Not on one day a year. And I don't find anything compelling about spending hundreds of dollars on people when I don't have it and they don't need it. There's nothing good about that. So, I search easily for happiness in my life. And I have it. Very much so. So, there's not much else that could possibly be put under a Christmas tree that would have any more redeeming qualities than that.