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Wednesday, December 15, 2004

TEN DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS.... 

Are you a rabbit or a turtle? I am definitely a rabbit. I never want to be “behind” on special occasions…or just any occasion for that matter….BUT…although I start early and get a jump on my goal, I usually enjoy my early start too much….and then, it’s YIKES!!!!! My time is gone and I’m running to beat the clock to get to the finish line. This would be tragic but I “always” make the finish line. That is what I focus on……not the fact I’m running fast or slow. The idea is to finish.

Win, place or draw, we have 10-days left to make Christmas happen. My idea is to make it manageable. We began putting our inside decorations out earlier this week and while I was cheerily typing out a blog for the day….my cat, Tuffy, was munching on the small fiber optic tree I intended using as a table tree in the living room. I would never have known of this evil deed but sated with his delicacy he got the heaves in the hallway and upchucked the whole sordid affair. Among the treasures he threw up were telltale pieces of the greenery and I’m sure (although I didn’t look too close) there were little fiber optics in the mess.

Tuffy was always murder on anything Christmas. It did something to his salivary glands and he just dove in without shame and devoured anything in sight. He is 9-years old now and I don’t see him growing out of it. Sassy, our 2-year old that Rocky saved and brought home one day, is learning his awful habits. In fact, she beat him to the tree this year and had an hors d’oeuvre, herself. After cleaning the carpet, the tree went in the box and may return some other year….maybe when they are too old to be able to get to it….or I’m so old I don’t remember the incident.

To make it manageable I said. Well, that meant mailing packages without the usual cookies and candies and deciding to put my little village out and my snowman collection. They are never eaten by the cats….just re-arranged somewhat. That and maybe some hanging decorations. So far, they haven’t learned to fly or climb the walls. A favorite of mine is to wrap a large picture on the wall in Christmas paper and then put a big bow on it….I did that years ago to excite the children because there wasn’t any money for decorations. They never knew the reason for the invention and they loved it.

That leads us to the “manageable” part. Just make it fun and enjoyable, early or late and leave some memories with your loved ones. By next year they will never know what was missing….it is, after all, the perfect time to give the greatest gift that only we can give……our love……..

Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther