"How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?" -Dr. Seuss
December 2. Hard to believe. We are in the last month of the year and though the year has in many ways seemed long, in others it feels as if we're just getting started. This afternoon I will begin decorating the house. Jacob is home for the month before he starts his last semester of undergrad school. It's wonderful to have him here. It also, no doubt, means the house will be filled again with his friends. Lots of cooking and cleaning to do. Fine by me.
Tomorrow I will accompany my young friend Jen to her semi-annual appointment at PMH. At the tender age of 22, she is already a three-time cancer thriver. The appointments are scary for her but I hope made a little easier by my presence. I'm counting on good news and will make sure we celebrate appropriately with a nice lunch and shoe shopping when we're done. Tomorrow night she will stay with us to save her the one-day round trip to her school in Kitchener. I plan to spoil her rotten, filling the guest room with small gifts and treats.
I've made a bit of a dent in my Christmas shopping but I've got a couple of things left to do. Our exchange this year, young people excluded, will be limited to the same rules we had last year - gifts we make or can eat or drink, treasures passed along or kindnesses done in the recipient's honour. It worked well for us last year. Merv and I will limit our gift exchange to our Christmas stockings. We'll splurge on Jacob.
This December day is gray and the night will come early. Time for some Christmas lights to brighten up the world.
The Dr Suess quote is brilliant and so appropriate for this time of year. I may 'borrow' that in one of my upcoming posts.
ReplyDeleteI like your adult gift exchange rules. Passing a kindness in the recipients honor. At some point there are only so many sweaters and tchotchkes one can buy for adult siblings and so forth. So much more meaningful especially if the receiving adult is blessed enough to be able buy their own sweaters and really has no need for my lacking fashion sense.
You're entirely right - we do get to a point in our lives when we don't need or want any things. I love our rules - nothing to put away other than some beloved family treasures we have moved from place to place. Really, it is the gift of time together we most want and treasure. Happy Holidays!
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