My Comcast email came back; I got over my snit. I even got over my procrastination and ordered some Christmas gifts on line. The holiday shipping is fantastic. Some seven items arrived already. Only a portable keyboard for DW to use to teach music to the DGD might be late - and that won't matter.

Holiday stuff is offered everywhere. I need to remember that this happens every single year and I'll have another chance to eat anything that I skip in just 12 months.

We got the next-to-last Christmas item - a tree - yesterday. The last item is the ham and I will pick that up on Friday. The tree will come inside to thaw out tomorrow night and I will decorate it Wed.

I'm delivering the pet gifts today. That will make a lot of room in my closet again. Natalie pokes around in the gifts if I leave them out anywhere. She can (and did) jump on top of a 6 ft. tall bookcase to get to a "cat" gift stored there.

DH and I attended a nice concert last night - part of my Christmas gift to both of us. It was 2 Quebecois bands and they did a couple of sets of foot-stompin' fiddle music. Most of the musicians seemed equally at home on several instruments and there were a couple of a capella numbers that were impressive. DG will be taking me out to dinner after Christmas for his part of the gift.

We're trying to reduce our "stuff" and giving each other experiences that we can enjoy together. This is the first year we're trying this and it's a success so far.

Dagmar

Great idea, Dagmar! We're in the middle of rejigging what feels like the whole house as the result of my buying a 'display cabinet' to be used in the bedroom for our clothes. It's meant that everything can be moved around and that seems to include the books as well. I've just taken six bags of books etc to a charity shop. We're all having a lot of fun!

I've adopted a useful rule (from one of DH's old girlfriends). If I bring something new in something else has to go out. DH hasn't gotten on board with this yet but I'm hoping he eventually will.

Our house has to be rejigged too, whenever we bring something - like a Christmas tree - in.

Dagmar

We're pretty much ready for Christmas. The decorations are up and most of the packages have arrived and have been wrapped. DD and SIL are coming for lunch tomorrow and to drop off their dog and pick up their presents. Friday is the office holiday lunch (taco cart as per the request of our employees--no cooking for me!) and Saturday I'll pick up a ham for Christmas--an easy meal. Last year the family requested beef Wellington and while good, that was a huge undertaking.

And I've come down with a cold. And sleep is horrible when coughing all the time.

Hope you're better by the holiday Allison. Sounds like all else at your house is ready to go.

Dagmar

I had a big bout of procrastination with the holiday this year. Usually I'm all ready by the second week of December but this year I'm cutting it down to the wire.

I think it was the aftermath of the American election and the uncertainty that now underpins my retirement plans as a result of that election. I was too depressed by that to do much of anything.

It seems that whenever I plan far ahead something always derails the plan.

I hate that.

Dagmar

I flew back from Arizona late Sunday night and yesterday was a whirlwind at work/ home.... Dh stayed in Arizona and will fly to Texas today. I'll fly there Friday (I work through Thursday). Trying not to be overwhelmed by all I need to do before then.

Graduation was awesome. Dd interviewed for the position she thought she was getting yesterday. She was offered the job (6th grade math teacher), which she will start after Winter Break. Dh and she have been all over Arizona getting her paperwork in order so she can start. She is pretty excited!

Frustrated with my weight, but what's new.... back up to Thanksgiving weight. I'd just like to start the New Year under 130 but that is seeming unlikely. I was super active yesterday and made it to the gym, so my weight was down a tad.

The sweets are pouring in to me. Yesterday I received homemade cream puffs. I put them in the communal fridge with a note to please eat. I just can't.

We celebrate the "family" Christmas tonite. My cousin's wife is not fond of us Estonian relatives and is no longer hiding that. Last year she didn't even look at her gift. One of her kids opened it.

She has invited us for 7 p.m. DH wants to be fashionably late and I have no use for that. He's driving so I'm kinda stuck.

Dinner will probably hit the buffet around 9. I'll be asleep in a corner somewhere . Must tell DH to find me and wake me up for it. We probably won't be home 'til midnight and I'm going to kiss the pets and go straight to bed then.

Aren't the holidays fun?

Dagmar

We are not putting up the tree this year - it will be just the two of us. Grandkids might visit during the week after New Year. My online shopping deliveries have been sitting unopened for a week. Today I opened and wrapped them. I also managed to get five gift boxes shipped off to family earlier in the week. This is the first year I've ever had time to do that!

We finally got a decent rain yesterday. I can see a slight tinge of green in the pasture. Strange to be hoping for a green Christmas, but that's instead of a brown one.

Cooper is recovering nicely (so far) from his perineal hernia re-repair surgery. The head cone is on him whenever I can't watch him closely, which is most of the time. Even so, he has tried to cause problems by rubbing the incision on the grass a couple of times. I stopped him in time. My vet said he had no problem closing the hernia because Cooper still has great muscle tone. This time around I'll make sure that his stool always remains soft to avoid strain on the repair.

Allison, I hope your cold is getting better. Zicam always works for me but you have to start taking it at the very beginning stages of the cold.

Michele, I think the cream puffs would freeze okay. I put a lot of baked goods in the freezer and it keeps me safe.

Dagmar, sounds like a good idea to sleep through the family event. Seems like a late time to start given the short days. I would just beg off and say I can't get to bed that late. I wouldn't feel guilty either. Lately I refuse to let people affect my health, either sleep-wise or food-wise.

Birchie, hooray for donating all those books! I've put a few things in the donation pile, but more of my time is spent looking for things I've misplaced, such as a pair of walking shoes. How could I lose a pair of shoes that I wore just last week? My house is not THAT cluttered! I'm also missing an address book that I remember looking at a week or two ago. Maybe it is with the shoes.

I managed five slight deficit days in a row without too much suffering, and I'm working on the sixth. As long as I resist the strong snacking urge I do okay. My weight was 125 two days in a row. Hoping to go at least a pound lower before the end of the year. When I looked back at my weight record for December, I realized that 125 is on the low side of the trend, so I guess I'm "not unhappy."

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Chanukah, Happy Solstice, and Happy Whatever You Celebrate! May everyone find a little peace and joy in their day!