What do you do when you aren’t ready for Christmas? As a former Type A Christmas junkie who decorated, baked and made dozens of cookie and candy platters, wrote long Christmas letters, and had her Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving , I’m about to find out.
I went back to work after a two-year retirement, and I’m struggling to juggle tasks I once did with ease: keep house, cook, do laundry, shop, pay bills, in addition to now planning lessons, teaching, grading, and managing classrooms full of energetic teenagers. How did I do this when I had small children? There must have been two or three of me…or youth really is something special.
In addition to the normal December list of things to do, it’s been an even more eventful December for our family. Our granddaughter turned a charming three. Watching her enjoy her birthday party was worth every minute of multi-tasking so I could pick up my mom for a quick trip to far western Kansas. Who knew watching a precious little girl blow out three candles could be more exciting than seeing her blow out two? Or that a gift bag of plastic food from her aunt could provide hours of entertainment for the toddler and all adults watching her dab imaginary ketchup from a red bottle on everything from imitation celery to realistic looking tacos.
Part of the fun of that particular birthday party was watching our daughter maneuver her very pregnant abdomen around us as she presented the homemade cake. Yep, grandbaby number two was just about to arrive. Four days after we celebrated Grand one’s birthday, we were on the road again, excited to meet our first grandson and to see how Mom, Dad, and big sister were doing.
Somewhere in between these jaunts, my husband was recovering from a virus and running a trap line. I was explaining to teenagers what they need to know about dangling participles, Puritan literature or To Kill a Mockingbird, and to prepare them for a comprehensive semester final covering grammar, vocabulary, and writing.
The Saturday my sweetheart started stringing lights around the railings on the front porch, I realized I better decorate the tree and set up our nativity. I have to admit placing baby Jesus in his manger in a room lit by softly glowing Christmas lights did jolt me with some Christmas gusto. It just didn’t put me in a mood to bake, so the counter remained bare and the scent of vanilla and cinnamon remained in their containers in the cupboard.
By the time I arrived home each evening, cooking supper and running a load of laundry through the washer or dryer was all I accomplished. Somehow, Christmas goodies I once spent hours baking remained in their individual elements in bags of flour and sugar. Fudge and cinnamon hard candies weren’t on my list.
With school on hiatus, I’m inspired. I wrote Christmas letters and addressed cards. They should arrive by December 24 if weather doesn’t mess with their delivery. If I can’t manage proper Christmas shopping, Santa can leave a snow check instead of a rain check. I figure that will bring a smile and make the anticipation last a little longer. After a good night’s rest and a pretty Christmas CD, my kitchen won’t know what hit. Martha Stewart, move over.
