Fa la la la la, la la la....

Aaaaahhhhh!
Ok, so it has been forever since I’ve written and I am terribly sorry! I know all 4 people interested in my blog are extremely disappointed. I have spent the past 2 weeks baking cookies for my company Christmas party (they were a hit…pictures to come later) and making my Christmas cards!
I knew the holiday season was busy, but I never realized how busy it was. Now granted, I have done a lot of this to myself, but I honestly feel like there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done that I would like to.
I had to spend last night frantically cleaning because I could not stand the filth any longer! (Filth being a relative term…) Plus we have had some crazy weather here, so I slept on the couch the past two nights just so the wind wouldn’t keep me up in my room. (And yes, I have another bed, but I didn’t want to dirty those sheets.)
I spent all of last week baking and decorating cookies. I think it is a safe bet that I had well over 70 cookies around my house. I made gingerbread men and my mom’s famous sugar cookies. Don’t worry, they weren’t all for me. My company Christmas party was last Saturday, and I had this brilliant idea to make a cookie bouquet, make that 2 cookie bouquets. One was a hostess gift for my boss’s wife for hosting the party, and another went into to pool of gifts for the company gift exchange. It was the kind of exchange where you could steal a gift that had already been opened, then that person would either steal another or open a new one. I thought it was so clever of me to make these elaborate cookies until about 4 Saturday afternoon when I was STILL decorating them.
Of course, everyone loved looking at them, and I spent most of the party bragging about how I slaved over them in hopes that my gift would be the one that everyone wanted to steal. To my disappointment, it was more towards middle of pack and it was a second choice gift for the couple who ended up with it. Lesson learned- people at my company love the booze in the gift exchange.
For company Christmas parties, ours ranks pretty high. It wasn’t as awkward as I feared and I wasn’t the only one there solo (even though I am the only single person in the ENTIRE company). I did have a lot of fun, even if my gifts were stolen the most. Two of the highlights of the night were when I opened one gift that I thought was just some goofy picture of one of my co-workers (you had to be there to get the humor of it, but the entire room was rolling in laughter- there was a gift card inside J), and when I went and stole the CEO’s bottle of Woodford Reserve that he was so proud of getting. I think it shocked everyone that I worked up the nerve to steal his gift…he even told me that he would never forget that.
This week I made my Christmas cards (again, doing it to myself), but now I have to get them in the mail, finish Christmas shopping, wrap presents, make a present, and catch up on all of my chores I’ve been slacking on before leaving town for Christmas. In addition to spending time with friends, work and trying to make it to the gym on occasion, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day.
I know I am not the only one who gets a little overwhelmed this time of year, but I recently received an email to remind us all to take a step back and remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas. There is no need to feel overwhelmed and stressed- Christmas is a time of celebration and joy, and I hope we never ever forget that. I do hope that when it is all over this year, we all look back and remember the time we spent with our family and friends, and the one perfect gift we all received many, many years ago.
Here is the email:
Christmas Shopping
A woman was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable, and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.
She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season, over-whelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, get that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, make sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card.
Finally the elevator doors opened, and there was already a crowd in the elevator. She pushed her way in and dragged her two kids in with her and all the shopping bags. When the doors closed, she couldn't take it anymore and stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up, and shot."
From the back, everyone heard a quiet, calm voice respond, "Don't worry. We already crucified him." For the rest of the trip down the elevator, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
Don't forget this year to keep the one who started this whole Christmas thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. If we all did it, just think how different this whole world would be.