It’s the holidays. I’m a bit scattered. We’re lucky these thoughts are numbered in order and not just haphazardly strung about on the page.

1. If Rolos would come up with a packaging strategy that did not include individually wrapping the candies in gold foil that rips so easily and gets lodged into the chocolate, they’d make millions off of me each Christmas. I absolutely love those rolo-on-a-pretzel things, topped with an M&M. I’ve heard a pecan is also scrumptous, but I love the looks of the M&M.
1b. The holiday packaging of M&Ms includes 1 red and 2 shades of green – a forest and a kelly. Everyone knows that red is the holiday color of choice. It’s what Santa wears. Thus the over-abundance of green in the package – and on my plate of rolo treats – causes some stress for those with a smidge of OCD. Half way through the tray I let it go and just put the colors on all willy nilly. This is me, living it up over the holidays.
2. Husband made his first venture out to the store pre-holiday with children in tote. I laughed the entire time he retold the story. He also drove that bus of a cart at Meijer which requires a camera on the end so that you don’t unknowingly run over a toddler in the cereal aisle. Later this evening he gave me a shoulder rub. I think his appreciation was awakened by the trip.
3. Tomorrow, the 23rd, is not officially a holiday. Technically Christmas Eve isn’t a true holiday, though most places will treat it like one after the 12noon hour. A friend of mine significantly dislikes our recent taking to the habit of treating the days prior and post-holiday as true holidays – taking off work, shutting down businesses and the like. However, I’m a big fan. I love that we’re finally letting go of our need to work all. the. time. and finding a few more hours to spend with family. Or preparing (mentally or gastronomically) to be with the family. Either way, it’s allowing us to string out the holidays, see more loved ones, and celebrate with that much more merriment. I’m hoping that with a mob mentality we’ll start to aim for european-style vacation aspirations (as in the european traditions of long vacation periods. Not the movie National Lampoon’s European Vacation. Pig-in-the-poke, pig-in-the-poke. Oink oink).
4. Miss M has been working on tooth appearances for over a week now. I’m dreading the realization that she will continue in her brother’s pattern of hitting the worst of this process while staying with family. Oh, the fever, the crying, the lack of sleep. But she’ll be singing “all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth” in earnest.
5. Free fast fact: I’ve never had eggnog. Not even a taste. The thought of raw egg swimming in my milk, not being frozen in there via the ice cream maker, doesn’t make my tummy shout with glee. Even more strange, I’ve never been to a holiday function where eggnog was even an option. Perhaps Ohio blacklisted the eggnog pre-1980?
6. Husband informed me that from now until January 10 we will have no concerns with our television programming as football will invade in a constant stream. Oh, joy.
7. We have new personalized stockings, hung with care over our front living room window. I had the brilliant idea to make them and found a pattern on the interweb. I bought a bunch of old flannel shirts from Salvo and with the aid (*ahem, work) of my grandma, they’ve been fashioned into the booties of my dream. We have 5 hung, 4 with puffy-painted names. No worries, we made a spare so the youngest of the clan, when/if s/he arrives, doesn’t feel like an afterthought. I tell you, my grandma can make magic on that sewing machine. I’m almost inspired to ask for one for Christmas next year and take lessons. Though, my stockings would already be made. I guess I could take up making jumpers for the little girls at Easter.

Well, that’s enough randomness for this Christmas season. Stay tuned because extended time with family always prompts a little verbal processing later on. Best wishes to you and yours over the next week!