Christmas passed alright--came and went--I will never experience Christmas 2007 again. It will be a memorable Christmas for me because I had absolutely NO Christmas Spirit. I have collected quite a few decorations over the years, but they all stayed safely stored away and wrapped securely in their boxes. I put up a tree and managed to decorate it 4 days before Christmas with the help of three cute and willing granddaughters. I put a wreath on the front door that had the possibility of being lighted, but I didn't even plug it in. That was the extent of my decor for this year--no naitivity--no village-- nada.
I have tried to look at why my mood was so affected and this is what I have come up with:
1. I was away at Thanksgiving time and didn't come home until the Sunday after, so that got me started late.
2. I didn't have gifts in mind (for anyone) that I was really excited about.
3. I couldn't afford this year to have my outside lights hung. I think this was a much bigger deal to me than I realized.
4. This is really dumb, but I have been greatly affected by the Presidential Elections. There has been soooo much Mormon bashing--I should just quit listening altogether, but I am drawn to try and listen to every comment. For every 4 bad comments, there is usually one good. It just makes me feel so bad that there is such hatred and bigotry and ignorance. I think it has taken an emotional toll on me because of something that I hold so dear is being wrongly scrutenized at every turn.
I usually have New Years Eve party--not this year. Alisha came up with the kids and Bret joined us about 11:15 (after he got off work.)
One good thing for me is that I was much more organized this year. I didn't have to stay up all night Christmas Eve wrapping presents. I even had time to go to my sister's and enjoy time there and didn't feel as though I had to be rushed. I would have been even more organized, but Krissie was sick and so I baked and frosted, put on plates and bagged 5 batches of cookies for her to give to 20 neighbors. But the good thing about that was I HAD THE TIME. It was nice to actually go to bed on Christmas Eve--first time in 36 years.
The kids gave me a digital frame which is great for me (I just love technology). They also had Avery sneak out my Christmas Stocking and they also filled that. None of them can afford to give me anything, but they do such a thoughtful gift every year.
