Post Christmas

 It's hard to imagine right now, but we are getting a cold front in an hour. I am sitting here in the office sweating to death with a fan behind me trying to cool me down. Our house AC/heat pump is on the fritz, so we have been using little window units to keep us cool. We just took the last window unit out of the window and sealed it up tight, in anticipation of the freeze. So now we sweat while we wait for it to freeze. It is 75 degrees and sunny and deliciously warm, although cooler than the last three days of 85 degrees. Hard to believe this is late December. 

We had a wonderful Christmas. December 24 came, and for once I was prepared. All the stockings were stuffed, all the gifts were wrapped. House was clean and ready for cooking and company on Christmas. Katie and Jeffrey were hosting Christmas morning this year, but we had to wait until the girls were asleep to bring over all of our packages. We loaded up the car around eight or nine in the evening, but it was eleven o'clock, long past our bedtime, when she called us to come over. We spent the interim in our bedroom, watching The Santa Clause with Matthew and Alyssa, and eating popcorn. It was very cozy and pleasant and something I can never recall us doing on Christmas Eve. I think everybody thought I was nuts stuffing the stockings so soon, but now we had the time to just enjoy each other. 

So we sneaked quietly into Katie's house and she took possession of the gifts and set them up under her beautiful tree, with stockings on the stone mantel. Then we left as quietly as we had come in, with instructions to be back promptly at six AM, and hurried home to finish our movie. 

We woke up at 530, and headed right over. I had a tote full of gifts that I hadn't brought over the night before, and all three of remaining house family members had questions. What are these gifts? Did we forget them? How come there aren't tags? Who do they belong to? I told them NUNYA. As in nunya business. 

So we got there and the girls woke up and dug into their stockings and then it was time to hand out gifts. But FIRST I said, and laid out the eight gifts (one for each person) from the tote I had brought on the fireplace hearth, and told everybody scope out the gifts. Everybody is going to pick one, so think about which one you would like to have. I had really decorated these gifts with pretty wrap and elaborate bows, to make them very attractive. Annnd GO! Everybody descended on the gifts and the paper flew! I just sat back and laughed. Matt opened a pair of size nine pink suede high heeled boots, and said he would "rock" those boots.  Alyssa opened a Dolly Parton Coffee mug. Alyssa hates country music. The Mr. opened a carpentry tool. The Mr. has never done carpentry. Arya opened a Rush Limbaugh coffee cup. She wasn't sure what to do with that. Claire opened a photographer's backpack. Katie opened up a Polly Pocket Teddy Bear Playhouse, which Claire eyed longingly. I opened a remote control pink and blue toy car. Jeff opened up a pretty blue fringed hooded cape. 

After everybody had their "gifts" I had them figure out who the gifts were really intended for, the pink boots for Katie, the Dolly Parton cup for me, the photographer backpack for matt, the shawl for Ally, the carpentry tool for Jeff...etc...it was pretty funny. 

Then the real gifts were handed out. Oohs and Aahs were breathed, and then it was time to go home for a two hour nap before the cooking began. 

This year we decided to do something different. Instead of something traditional we decided to have a Feliz Navidad Christmas dinner. I didn't cook anything from scratch, except the guacamole. We bought frozen everything. Frozen enchiladas, frozen taquitos, frozen tamales, Charro bean soup, and I actually did make that from scratch, except that the beans were canned, a cheese/cookie charcuterie tray and all the sauces, including queso and salso. 

We all ate too much but we had a great time. 

The kids left and we took a plate of food to the Mr.'s friends. The Mr.'s best friend's wife is dying of brain and lung cancer. She is bedridden in their small trailer. He is beside himself to know what to do. We sat and talked with him for awhile, but she was in the back in a blacked out room, unable to visit. 

She might be sixty years old. 

It's a very sobering reminder that death comes for us all, whether it's your Dad, or your friend, or even yourself. It's a reminder of why we need Jesus. He is our ticket off of this Earth. Bam! Immediately in Heaven once we leave this body If he is our Lord. Without that there is just eternal torment. For me it's an easy choice. Believe and live or dismiss Him and die. I want every single person I know to choose life. I want every single person I know to be with me in Heaven. We prayed for the Mr.'s friends before we left and we continue to pray for them every day. They are in a hard, hard place this Christmas season. 

Back home, dishes were done, house was cleaned. I dozed off until bedtime. We were planning on visiting Dad the next morning, but a phone call from him at 730 AM put the kabosh on that. His voice sounded weak, so weak. Julie, Don't come. he said. I don't feel up to company today. Of course I said I understood, but cried for an hour. Not because I couldn't visit, but because I know I am losing my Dad. 

We made plans for the 27th, yesterday, if he was feeling up to it. 

Unfortunately, this time, it was me who wasn't up to it. I woke up feeling groggy and crappy. I called him first thing and told him we would fix a time later. He wasn't feeling up to it either. So I hung up and then I fell back asleep and did something I haven't done in ten years. I slept. And slept. And slept. Until NOON! 

I guess it all just caught up with me. I have been so tired, for so long that I just crashed. And so did the Mr. I slept off and on all day yesterday. It was like I just couldn't stay awake. I finally just went to bed. 

I actually was able to stay awake this morning, with plans to take the girls to church, but the Mr. isn't feeling well today, so we had church at home, via Youtube. I cooked lunch and am contemplating cleaning the office/art room. Christmas chaos is all around me, with wrapping paper still laying about (this is the wrapping room, as well). Stickers for the packages are everywhere. papers, lists, receipts (in case anything needs to go back to the store) markers, paint, are all waiting for me to put them away, so I can have a clean mind, ready to create. Ready for the new year. But instead I am sitting here waiting for that moment that the wind changes and the cold front emerges. I can't believe it's going to be 28 degrees in a few hours. Let's pray that our heat will work.