Wonderful Christmastime

I thought the Christmas season got off to a rough start. I mean, I ran up North Canyon twice after Thanksgiving because the weather wasn't very Christmassy. I set up a Christmas bucket list to make the season more festive, but I found myself worrying if I'd be able to get everything done.

But now it's Christmas Eve morning, and I've been feeling more Christmassy and joyful.

On Wednesday, my boss gave me and my two immediate coworkers Christmas gifts. I think most of his gifts are ones he gets free and then gives away. He had three wrapped gifts, one for each of us. I suspected that mine was the CD of last year's MoTab's Christmas concert, since I had seen it on his windowsill since September. But instead he said, "This isn't actually your gift. I was going to give this to you, but then I found this other gift instead." (I was a little relieved, because I didn't like last year's MoTab guest.) What he actually gave me was a seasonal cookbook, with recipes for each holiday/month! He knows me well. Then he took us to lunch as a farewell, since my contract is up at the end of the week, and it might have been the last time I will see him as his employee.

It was on my bucket list to decorate a gingerbread house, so I helped to make this one.

My nephews decorated graham cracker houses. They were mostly interested in using all kinds of candy so they can eat it. We had lots of Christmas candy, but we also had some leftover stuff from Halloween.

Nathaniel used Veggie Chips Ghosts and Bats to make "masks" for his Peeps Snowmen.

Preston had an open house that he dumped all the candy into.

 We have had our cat, Jimmy, for two months now. Even though I bought him, he has loved my mom the most. But since his routine has been disrupted with my nephews in town, he has been hanging out with me, sleeping on my bed and nuzzling against me. I don't know how he was taken to the Humane Society at least twice, because he's such a nice kitty. But I've never known a cat to shed as much as he does. There are clumps of fur all over the house, and my bed, and my clothes, and my face. Nathaniel (7) said that maybe he likes me because he thinks I saved him "from the torture," because we have speculated that he was abused by a previous owner--he's pretty skittish, and he's missing a tooth.

It was also on my bucket list to go sledding, so my brother and I took my nephews to the golf course to sled. I went down several times, but I'm really too scared to do intense sledding--I kept deliberately slowing myself. I don't think I would do well with skiing or snowboarding. :/  I was able to slide down just on my belly with my coat and no sled.

The boys also wanted a break for a snowball fight.

When I would run back up the hills after sledding down, the jingle bells on my Christmas tree hat were making festive noises. It was a lovely snowy day, and I thought, "This is so magical!" It's a great Christmastime. 

I have also been playing my Christmas playlist, which is the best it's ever been. I have just about every genre of music represented in some way: pop, rock, country, jazz, Baroque, heavy metal, rap, choral, EDM.

Merry Christmas!