What I did on my (Christmas) Vacation (part 1)
As the Christmas season arrived I found myself in a very odd state. For the first time in maybe a bazillion years I had no big on-going projects. The book was published, the block of the month completed, all deadlines met, and almost three months until the next teaching trip.
I’ve discovered that I don’t do “time off” very well, (okay, buddies, you can stop laughing now), and I’m going to do my darnedest to never let that happen again. I think it’s my ADHD showing up. I really, really hate transitions. It’s always been hard to change gears, harder still to come to a complete stop and start up again.
Luckily, my time off arrived just in time for the Christmas holidays. Decorating and parties and gift making helped carry me through.
We celebrated birthdays. To honor my dad we met at the Outback restaurant where my niece is a server. He’s 80 this year, but somehow, he doesn’t really look old to me. It’s nearly impossible to get a good picture of him. (I think that must be where I got it). His smile often ends up looking rather like Jacob Marley’s open maw from Dicken’s Christmas Carol. (It would help if he left his teeth in, to be sure.)
The best part of the holidays, for me, has always been Christmas morning. The prep is done, another deadline met, time to relax and enjoy the day. Every year I vow to enjoy the process of Christmas preparations, but I’m not much of a shopper. If I’m not careful holiday shopping becomes a contest to find the most perfect gift, the one thing that will make each person’s life complete. Too much pressure! Instead, this year I tried to find little ways to say “I love you”, and keep the receipts handy.
Now that the boys are grown and mostly out on their own, they no longer wake us in the middle of the night, excited to see what’s under the tree. Christmas morning is most civilized now, beginning with breakfast at a leisurely 10 am, followed by opening gifts. We’re finished by early afternoon as the boys head off to spend time with their spouses’ families. It’s then that I relax with a sigh, collaspsing into a soft chair with a good book, to enjoy the quiet of the season.