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tree

Originally uploaded by sillyred.

I caved.

Yesterday I had to go into the attic to find Fuller’s stocking and when I was up there I came across this fiber-optic joke of a Christmas tree. We purchased it from a yard sale a few years ago, with intentions to put it in a white elephant type gift exchange at some point. But yesterday, when I was in the attic, it suddenly stuck me as the perfect medium to express our family Christmas cheer. (More photos of our Christmas spirit if you click on the tree.)

We had a small family Christmas celebration, opening the presents that had arrived via USPS in the last few days. These were gifts from my side of the family and they were very generous with their giving. I received pretty gold hoop earrings, Damon received a Batman Begins DVD (sadly, it was sans DVD- a mistake by the packaging plant apparently), and Fuller received his own Snoop & Sniff puppy dog.

The dog was a big hit and Fuller immediately wanted to tear into the packaging. The only problem was that you couldn’t exactly tear into this packaging. The dog was so very carefully twist-tied into the box that it took us several minutes to free him so that Fuller could spend time rolling the puppy all around the house.

Also, our dogs received gifts too. They became the proud owners of two brand-new tennis balls. The reason I mention this is because Fuller has become very proficient at throwing the balls for Maple and Lively to chase. It appears he has quite the pitching throwing arm. (baseball is for girls – DWord.)

We are now relaxing beside the receeded waters of Lake Martin in Alabama. Damon is actually asleep in the hammock on the porch. The hammock is currently swathed in sunlight, so I imagine he is quite warm. The two body pillows and blanket he is bundled in probably help as well.

The drive down was fine. We left later than intended, but really we don’t have any kind of schedule we had to keep. We took a different route to bypass the urban sprawl of Birmingham’s 280 and it was a much more relaxed drive. And Fuller was content/ amused by his “in-flight movie” brought to him courtesy of his Crumley Grandparents’ early Christmas gift- a portable DVD player.

My neice and nephew are already here and we are all excited about our first Christmas at the lake. Linda has decorated the house with all kinds of cheer and the kids are agog with wonder.

And I wonder if there is any coffee.

I still have so much to do. Yet, I still found time for this.

Found via notmartha.

I am trying to sort through the things that I have to do today and the things I want to do today. We are leaving for Alabama early tomorrow morning so packing is a have to. An evening meal is necessary, so time in the kitchen is another have to. I have a gift for someone, but which category does driving to her house fit into? There is a crochet project that I have been working on, but I think that falls in the want to category. The wrapping paper in the living room should be put away, but again which category applies? And of course there is always the lingering want of a nap at some point in the afternoon.

I know all the “have to”s will be accomplished, somehow. Until then, I want to have a cup of tea.

Today my mailman brought me a gift from my local BI-Lo… a sampler of Whittman’s Chocolates.

And you know what?

I am totally going to regift it.

I am feeling much better, stomach woes have passed and I think that alcohol and I will no longer be friends this season. I think the histimines in wine seem to be the culprit of recent headaches and subsequent queeziness.

And now that I am feeling better, there is just so much to do. And somehow celebrations have to be squeezed in between answering emails, responding to pages, and feeding, cuddling, and playing with Fuller. Today my friend Esther will take over Fuller duty for a few hours so I can go into work and celebrate with my coworkers. There will be a White Elephant type gift exchange and catered food. Since I rarely see my co-workers anymore (both a pro and con of working from home), I am trying to make this special effort to be there.

Tomorrow night we will have our own Chattanooga Christmas, complete with gift opening from the Post Office/ UPS Santa.

We discovered last night that there are still some gifts that we have to get for people, so there will be some last minute scrambling to find that special something for that special someone.

But, tis the season to think about Jesus. And as I rush about, I hope and pray that I don’t lose my focus and worship of the true reason for the season.