So here's the list of what I
should be doing right now.
1. Making Swedish meatballs. Don't laugh. I really do that. Every year. Its what I bring to Christmas Eve dinner. Which incidentally, if you were wondering why some people (especially from northern European countries) celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, its because Christianity came late to the north. When us viking crazies were still pagans, we counted days from sundown to sundown, not sunup to sunup. So when Christianity came, we held onto that method of counting days while still converting to the whole Christ-as-savior thing. So we celebrate the night before Christmas since that's when the day really began for us.
2. Wrapping Christmas presents. I actually like to do this even though mine aren't all that beautiful. There's just something about a pile of pretty paper under my tree that I really, really love. I love to buy people things. The hard part is not telling them. The other night I had friends over and we were talking about a gal we all know who it turns out is gay. And I told them that when I know that someone's a lesbian all I can think is "She's GAY!" the whole time I'm in meetings and stuff with her. And its not because I'm homophobic. Or at least mostly not. Its because its a
secret and secrets make me want to shout and squawk and overall tell. Ever notice how much more stealthy lesbians are than gay men. Why is that? Is it because they secretly want to watch me squirm and try NOT to shout "SHE BANGS CHICKS!" So yeah, don't make me the first one you come out to and know that its very likely that if I bought you a gift in July, you're getting that gift in July. It will not be saved until your birthday or christmas or any other timely occasion.
3. Folding laundry. Wait, timeout, laundry gets wrinkly. I'm actually going to do this one.
4. Time back in. Finishing the stocking I'm making for my niece. My aunt Carole made beautiful applique stockings for her kids and all four of nieces and nephew. Which is crazy because she was a full time mom and attorney and all around read everthing, know everything, knowledge index of awesome. And how she had time to get everything done like take the day off to make snow creations that they dyed with food coloring and pack up bagels and lox for me when I just got grounded for like a lifetime for having a massive party at my mom's house while she was visiting my aunt because a guy got alcohol poisoning and was seizing in my living room. Yeah, she was the best. So since she died, I've taken up making the stockings and have made one for my niece Linnea and am now making one for Violet. They're kind of a bitch. Its not difficult, just time consuming. You sew each piece by hand and stuff and sequin and stuff that I just don't do. Here's what Violet's will look like when its done.
Violet wasn't named when I bought this. So the color's pretty sweet. Also she was born in a blizzard in March, so that's kinda neat too.
5. Wash the sheets in the extra bedroom for the slew of people about to come. First my cousin Anna, Carole's daughter, then my mom, then my dad. I think my friend the Meghannest will be in there for some of it too and maybe my brother, his wife and my nieces. All in the next two weeks. So yeah, add cleaning to the list too.
6. Making food for Amber's graduation. Amber's amazing. She's the first person in her family to graduate from high school, much less college. Not to mention the life she came from. I won't get into it because its not my story to tell, but there are probably half a dozen after school specials that warned about the dangers of her childhood. She's a fucking rockstar. And I absolutely adore her kids. Did I mention they're moving away to Tahoe? She and her boyfriend and their kids are my adopted family. Just for example, I called their daycare to schedule a child abuse reporting training and the director of the day care was like "Don't I know you somehow. You're name's really familiar." We figured out it was because I'm the emergency contact for the kids and have picked them up before. I'm usually good about enjoying the time with the people I love while I have it and letting them go when its time, but this is hard. I got a little choked up with the daycare provider. Last night, Demian, (the dad,) kept hugging me. Now, normally he'd be hurling mild insults about how I'm manish and we'd snark here and there at each other. But with the move impending, I'm taking a day off to ski with him and going to try not to bawl at the end of it. Its been a beautiful thing to be part of their kids growing up. It'll be hard to watch them go.
8. Working on the application and lease to rent out my mom's new house. I've got someone interested in applying for it Wednesday, so I've got to show it, get the papers together, get the snowblower working so I won't have shovel the fucking driveway again, and get the locks rekeyed.
9. Then there's all the normal Christmas crap. Buying little things for stockings and coworkers and kids on my caseload and making sure it all gets packaged and mailed and god only knows what all else. Not to mention I'm still not done with the basics of my Christmas list. The list goes on and on. I've calmed a little now, but this list didn't even touch the insane to do list I have from work and how freaked out I am about that. I've started getting muscle twitches, a sure sign of stress for me. So yeah, naybe I'll just go to bed and worry about it all tomorrow.
Yup, I'm doin it. G'night ya'll.
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