Not The Way I Planned Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! 

I don’t know about you, but every year I have this dream in my head of what Christmas should look like.  It should have all of my favorite traditions from when I was little (but without all of the hard work that I know my Mom put in behind the scenes), plus all sorts of Martha Stewart-esque touches.  I expect a roaring fire and stockings hanging by the mantle.  Hubby and I would be cuddled up under blankets all toasty warm and watch the snow drift gently down.  The presents that I selected would not only be beautifully wrapped, they would each be exactly what the recipient had always dreamed of having.  Carols would be sung, cocoa would be made, and Santa would like my cookies.  It would all be perfect.

So, what did Christmas really look like?  Well, I didn’t plan far enough in advance, so I didn’t decorate the house at all.  The chimney needs to be swept really bad, so a fire in there would probably burn the house down.  We celebrated with my hubby’s side of the family early, so that part of Christmas was done by mid-month.  The “perfectly wrapped presents” turned into “presents stuffed into gift bags”.  My hubby had a vicious cold, so he was completely miserable the entire week of Christmas.  We cuddled up under seperate blankets on opposite sides of the sofa.  I did not want to be anyway near the germs he was spewing!   The only thing that went according to plan is that we had snow.  For a lot of people that wouldn’t be a big deal, but here in Texas it is pretty much a miracle to have a White Christmas.

So, was this the worst Christmas ever?  No, not by a long shot!  It may not have been perfect, but I spent the day with the person I love most in the world.  We both have good jobs, a roof over our heads, and plenty to eat.  My friends and family are all healthy.  My very old furry kids are all still going strong.  Life is pretty darn good.  Christmas might not have been perfect, but there is always next year!

For everyone in the blogosphere, I hope that 2013 will be your most prosperous, adventurous, best year ever!