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It is only December first, so why am I beginning to get panicky? Is it because the only Christmas "shopping" I have done from my wheelchair is for the children on my list, not the adults? Or because I have sad memories of last Christmas when we were feeling depressed over things at my husband's job that were going against him? Or because we got to see only one of three children? And no other family members? Maybe it was the fact that a kitty had died right after Thanksgiving and another old-timer was fading fast? I don't really know, but the combination of all things led to a mixed sense of "Christmas Lost".
This year began with a better job situation for my husband, a better prognosis for my grandson, and a new home for my daughter. Losing my younger son to North Carolina relocation was sad, but at his age they follow the jobs. My older son is entrenched in Florida, but he visits when he can. I am the only family member who has never been to Florida, and with the MS response to heat I don't know if I ever will. But back to my current panic. After spending last night doing catalog orders for the kids, I started today ordering for the adults. This was harder than I imagined, not because shopping on line is difficult but because it takes FOREVER to have what I enter show up on the screen. Hitting the "reset" key does no good. It makes me feel as though I am in a crowded department store waiting in a line that curves all the way back to the entrance! So why shop on line? Two reasons: first, the selections are all in front of me and out of stock items are clearly marked as such; and second, I don't have to spend $3+ on gas to get to the store. My husband mentioned over our coffee this morning that a great deal of Christmas shopping this year is being marketed to be done on line. Do other shoppers have faster Internet speeds than we do? Another thing contributing to my unrest is that when I took the dogs out tonight, I noticed that a neighbor had his holiday lights up and lit already. These were the little white ones that are supposed to look like icicles. Alone they look silly, but coupled with snow they look fabulous. And guess what is supposed to fall during the early morning hours tonight? You've guessed right. SNOW! Forecasters are predicting several inches, then sleet/freezing rain before a warm-up to rain later in the week. I wish I had been able to put lights up on the blue spruce tree on the front of the house. This will be year ten living here, and I have never put up decorations outside. First, I can no longer stand up. Second, the house is not visible from the road. This year to counter that, I plan to tack up a string of lights around my office window. That way at least I can see them at night with the dogs. Maybe the neighbors on that street will be able to see them also and will know that at this house we celebrate Jesus' birth. The other task weighing on me is getting the Christmas cards done. Last year was simply too depressing to create any, but this year I began working on them as I usually do-in my head. Then this afternoon I began sketching out my idea. Quickly I changed how I would do it. All my years of drawing paper dolls have stood me in good stead, because my "characters" on the card will simply be a version of that. Problem solved. As to ordering my adults' presents, I will just use the standard methods-phone calls or mailed forms-found in the catalogs. Now if I can just find those catalogs! Just Mom |
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| Cartoon Courtesy of Coffee Cup Software |