2005

It has been a great year. I started this blog this past year and have made some wonderful new friends. Of course, my list of friends I've never met keeps growing, but that's okay. They are true friends.

We winding down to the last two hours of 2005. I hope your year was wonderful and that better things are in store for you in 2006. I've done some good things this past year, both personally and professionally. This next year should be even better.

Happy New Year, all.

The Year is Almost Over

The year is almost over and so is my vacation. I don't go back to work until Tuesday, but Monday is the actual holiday. I didn't accomplish half of what I wanted to while I was off. I probably didn't accomplish half of what I wanted to this year either. Next year, though, shows all kinds of promise.

The nice thing about new years is that it is almost a starting over of sorts. It is a new start for so many things. The only problem is that it all deals in time and time has a habit of getting away from us. We do what we can and make the best of every opportunity. That is what we have to do.

In the meantime, there's still time this year to do some of the things we have put off. There's also still time before the postage rates go up to do some of the things we should do. Sounds like I have some work to do.

Happy New Year.

Almost Over

The year is almost over. I'm seriously hoping this coming weekend will be much more relaxing than it has been around here. Our out-of-towners are leaving tomorrow. That just leaves the normal laundry and grocery shopping to get done. I have already decided that we're doing New Year's dinner at home. I'm going to made my Swedish Meatballs. I've only been making them for his birthday the last couple of years. It should be good.

The CD-RW/DVD-Rom is doing somewhat better than it was yesterday. It plays CDs great and I can now burn them. DVDs play a little strange, but I do have volume on them today which I did not yesterday. In the process, I completely destroyed my sound drivers and had to get them back. Then I ended up with a Windows Protection Error that wouldn't even let me boot. I swear, one of these days, something is going to get installed on this computer without taking hours, days, and weeks to do it.

I hope you all have been having a wonderful week. We've been in the upper 30s and low 40s for the past week. I was hoping to get some bad weather out of the way while I didn't have to drive to work in it. Not gonna happen or so it seems. Have a great night, all.

Fussing

I'm fussing with a new CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive tonight. We're having some audio issues. Hopefully, we'll be back in business tomorrow.

On Blogging

As much as I complain about lack of readers, I have had almost 300 visitors this past month on this blog. While my other two blogs are far, far behind, I'm not terribly upset by that. I, of course, owe so much to Billy Jones for his links on my Christmas stories. So, thank you, Billy, for the boost this past month. It has indeed been a memorable holiday experience in my little corner of blogsphere. You can visit Billy at Billy the Blogging Poet. If a few of my new visitors return, this month will pay off quite nicely.

I have seriously neglected my poetry blogs lately. I'm two pictures behind in the Pic of the Week at Moontown Cafe. And aside from the Round Robin, I haven't written much in the way of regular poetry for quite some time. The Robin will start up again after the new year. Maybe a break was what I needed. Only time will tell.

Have a good night, all.

'Tis the Season

Christmas is over for the most part. We have a gift exchange with out-of-towners on Wednesday and a Holiday Open House on Thursday. I don't mind being done for the year except that I have lost my writing topic for the moment. Because of Billy's 30 Days of Christmas, most of my work for the last month has been along that theme. I feel I'm done some good work over the past month.

I'm not sure what is in store for the future. It will be going back to not having a clue what I'm going to write until I sit down to do it. On the one hand, it keeps the creative juices flowing to just sit and write. On the other hand, it was nice to have a little bit of direction. Maybe I should start some monthly themes.

I enjoy my time in my blog. Christmas Eve was the first day I've missed since I started this blog. I posted after midnight that night. Therefore, Christmas Day became less urgent. I will forgive myself for missing on the holidays, though, since I have been here every other day. I was only mildly distressed to find that I could not change the date on my entry. I tried.

I hope everyone had a great holiday. Happy New Year to all.

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I hope your day is filled with everything you're looking for today.

Believe it or not, I missed a day!

No White Christmas

When you want the snow, it doesn't happen. Temperatures are warming up and we're expecting rain. After two days like this, there will be very little white stuff left on the ground. I don't especially dream of a white Christmas, but the movie was wonderful. There is just something so pretty about snow on Christmas. It fits hand in hand with Santa, the reindeer, and the sleigh.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. My parents will have been married 49 years. In this day and age, that in itself is something to celebrate. My mother's parents were also married on Christmas Eve. I never met either of her parents. They were both gone long before I was born. It is a special day. Even though many times the anniversary gets glossed over, it is a wonderful day.

If nothing else, maybe we can get some of the ice cleared from the sidewalks and driveways. With visitors coming and going, clear pathways will help to make the day less slippery. You know how it gets when families get together. There's enough goings on in the houses; we don't need any mishaps getting to the houses. We especially don't want Santa slipping on any rooftops!

I hope your day tomorrow is everything you hope it to be. I'm going to try to make it a good day for my folks.

The Little Red Wagon

For a couple years, I was very happy. Both of them played with me. Even when I got scraped and bruised, it was okay because we were having fun. Then one day, one of my front wheels broke off. The kids couldn't figure out how to have fun with me any more. For a day or two, they turned me upside down and leaned me against things as a sort of fort. They soon tired of that.

What I would give to get those days back where one of the kids pulled the other around. I gave them rides until I was so tired I didn't think I could move any more. I always kept moving. I even made a convenient lemonade stand last summer. There was just enough room for a pitcher of lemonade, some cups, and a can for money. My side was just big enough for a sign to be hung. The kids had fun that day. I did, too.

There were also times when I was laid on my side. I was the wall the kids hid behind then their bad guy friends went shooting at them. I never could figure out who were the cowboys and who were the indians, but I was happy to be a part of the game. And, always at the end of playtime, I gave one of the kids a ride home as long as the other one was good enough to pull us along. Those were good days.

Lately, I've been gathering dust and am very sad. If I could cry, maybe some of the dust would go away. I heard some talk about throwing me away. I hope not. I don't want to go away. Without my wheel, though, I may not have a whole lot to say about what happens to me.

It was garbage day and a couple of weeks before Christmas. The parents of the kids bought a bigger, better wagon for their kids and my parking spot was going to be needed. I found myself on top of the garbage pile. It was fun while it lasted, but my life was much too short. I can hear the garbage men coming now.

Piece by piece, the trash was picked up and thrown into the truck. Piece by piece, my life was closer to being over. I felt myself being picked up. Instead of being thrown into the truck, though, I was tucked under someone's arm and given a spot on the floor of the truck.

"What are you going to do with that?" asked the driver.

"I thought I would see if I could fix it for my kid. A couple of new wheels and a paint job and this thing could be good as new." came the answer.

I had never heard such beautiful words in my life! Someone was going to fix me so that more kids could have fun with me. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

The Perfect Gift

The tree just didn't look right with only one gift underneath. Normally, there were more presents than ornaments since he enjoyed shopping for nonsense gifts. For the last three months of the year for the past three years, every time he saw something that he thought she would like, he bought it.

This year was different. He had started to pick up items on more than one occasion, but he knew nothing would be good enough. He had made the decision that this was the year he would make his world right. He had been to every jewelry store in the county until he found the perfect ring.

He hoped she wouldn't be disappointed since there wouldn't be a bunch of gifts this time. The one he was giving her was important to him. It meant everything to him. Over the last year, they had hinted at marriage. He thought she would honor him by accepting his proposal. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

The tree looked so strange though, with only one gift. He knew he had to do something. He found some wine glasses and tied bows on the stems. The glasses went under the tree. He found a bottle of wine that he also put under the tree. The wine they would actually share was safely chilling in the refrigerator, but the picture under the tree was incomplete without the bottle.

He found her favorite book of short stories and placed that under the tree as well. He felt there was only one thing missing. He had just the thing. For the longest time, he had meant to organize his pictures and put them into an album. He bought an album earlier in the year for just this reason. He would dedicate the album to them.

Lovingly, he reviewed all of the pictures he had of them together. He chose the best ones for the album. His camera automatically dated the pictures so it was easy to put them into date order. He was quite proud of the album when he finished. He wrapped a big red bow around the book and placed it under the tree. Unfortunately, the original gift had become buried. He rearranged everything until he thought it was perfect.

Now all he had to do was to wait for Christmas. It would be a merry Christmas, indeed.

Sleeping on Christmas Eve

It was Christmas Eve. Mom and Dad said I had to go to sleep or Santa would not come. I tried. I really tried. I was too excited to sleep. Every noise the house made received prompt attention. I listened real hard to hear if that noise was Santa. Every time, I was disappointed.

I could hear Mom and Dad downstairs talking. That was comforting sound since I hear that every night when I drift off to sleep. Only tonight, every time I started to drift, I would hear a possible Santa noise. I was positive I knew exactly what sound the reindeer would make as they landed on our roof. I wasn't sure how they were going to land since our house came to a point, but I knew he'd come any way.

We only had one bathroom in the house and I could hear my parents when they came up to use that bathroom. They seemed to have to go a lot. As soon as I dozed off for a second, someone else would come up to use the bathroom. They were busy tonight. Mom said I had to go to sleep, but sleep would not claim me.

I started to count sheep. The sheep soon turned into elves and I would hear another noise. Instantly, my ears picked up and my eyes were wide. Nothing! I would start counting elves again. I could only count to 10 so that didn't take too long. I would start over again.

I must have fallen asleep at some point. When I woke up Christmas morning there were lots of presents under the tree. Not only had I missed Santa, I missed stealing the last cookie from the plate that we left for the old man. Man! Next year, I'm gonna catch him for sure!

Hmm

I've received two rejections in the past week. One was for some poetry and the other for a review that I wrote. These rejections don't help in the motivation department. I have a couple of submissions outstanding, but I don't hold my breath.

I haven't even been writing all that much poetry lately. The blog has taken up much of my writing time. I feel I've done some decent stories, though. Maybe I need to focus more on that kind of submssion. I don't know.

Have a great night, all.

Holiday Recap

For your reading pleasure, I have written several Christmas stories over the past few weeks. The list of stories on my sidebar include the newest Christmas additions. If you find a story that you enjoyed, please let me know.

Christmas is only a week away. I hope to get some additional inspiration to provide even more stories as the week progresses. In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday week.

A Gift for Mrs. Claus

Santa was looking for the perfect gift for his wife. He was running out of time and had no ideas what to give her. After last year, Mrs. Claus let him know that his gifts were lacking and she would not tolerate it any more. He was Santa Claus after all. He could certainly come up with a decent gift for his wife.

Over the years, Mrs. Claus had gotten a variety of misfit toys and cast offs for Christmas. Santa was always so busy and she always understood and laughed it off. He could not let her down again this year. Heaven forbid, she might leave him. The North Pole could get might cold without a woman to warm your bed!

The elves tried to help Santa with his dilemma, but were failing as miserably as he was in finding the perfect gift. He wanted this to be special. He wanted it to be memorable. He wanted it to be perfect. Santa locked himself in his study and gave the problem some serious thought. He made some notes, but nothing was good enough for his wife. He just knew he was going to let her down again. He started his apology:

I don't have the perfect gift for you again.
I cannot give you anything that makes me
as happy as you have made me over the years.
I offer this to you as my humble apology.
You deserve more than I can give, always have.
You make my life Christmas. You are my gift.


Shaking his head, Santa folded his apology neatly and placed it in a small box. He wrapped the box and put a pretty red bow on top of it. He would keep looking for that perfect gift, but if he failed, he had an offering. As an after-thought, Santa made a little card and drew a rose on the front of it. He added the traditional to and from lines and signed the card with a flourish. And then, he had an idea.

Roses! Mrs. Claus loved roses! Santa couldn't remember when the last time he had given his wife flowers. That would be a great gift for her. And...maybe some perfume that smelled like roses would be good too. The flowers would die quickly, but she could remember how they smelled with the perfume. Now all he had to do was sneak away to get these gifts.

Christmas morning came and Santa was very tired. There seemed to be more children this year and he was getting older, of course. He sat in his chair and waited for his wife to join him in front of the fire. As tired as he was, he was looking forward to exchanging gifts with his wife. He had nothing to be ashamed of this year. He had found the perfect gift.

Mrs. Claus presented her gift to Santa first. She had spent several weeks making him a new suit. Red velvet was getting harder and harder to find. She was quite pleased with her handiwork and even Santa liked the new look. He would try it on later in the day. Santa only hesitated for a moment before he reached behind the tree and brought out a bundle for Mrs. Claus to unwrap.

"Roses! Oh, honey, thank you! They're beautiful!" Mrs. Claus was only a little puzzled when he handed her a second package. "Perfume! I'm impressed, thank you, dear." She gave him a peck on the cheek.

Santa didn't realize it, but he had been holding his breathe. He let it out slowly and settled deeper in his chair. It was a good day. However, Mrs. Claus was still looking a little puzzled. "Dear? Don't you have something else for me?"

Santa shook his head. Mrs. Claus ran to the study and returned with the little gift that Santa had forgotten about. Once he got the idea about the flowers and the perfume, he tucked it into the corner of the desk and forgot about it. "What about this?"

Santa shook his head again, "Oh, that's nothing."

"Well, can I open it? I found it when I was dusting the study. I'm sorry if I ruined the surprise." Although the gift was no longer relevant, he allowed her to satisfy her curiosity.

The next thing he knew, Mrs. Claus had tears streaming down her face. She hugged Santa as if she would never let him go. "You wrote this?"

Santa was looking sheepish and admitted his folly. "This is the best gift you have ever given me. I love you, Santa Claus."

The Real World

There are so many things I would like to do. I would like to make all the hurt go away. It just doesn't work like that. Some of the things I'd like to do don't happen because there just aren't enough hours in a day. I'm too selfish to give up my sleep in order to go the extra round.

Earlier tonight, I learned that John Spencer died. Ironically, his character on the West Wing suffered a heart attack last season. Today, he suffered a heart attack that killed him. He was only 58. I will miss him. I used to watch LA Law when he starred in that as well.

I just came from the poetry board. It breaks my heart to know that the people I've grown to care so much about are suffering. And, there are just no words to help. If I could be in several places at one time, I could make my presence known with willing hugs and open arms. As the knife cuts, the blade eventually must dull. I can only hope this is true.

My Christmas spirit is lagging behind today. I'm tired and I still have to get up early tomorrow for a dental appointment. Hopefully, I'll discover an elf or two in my dreams tonight. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Winding Down

I've got four more days of work this year and so much to do yet. I hope I last that long. My temporary help ends tomorrow. We originally hired them for two weeks and have kept them for a month and a half. They were a big help. Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff we have to do ourselves.

Every day, I seem to run out of time. There's so much to do even after I get home and not enough time. I'm getting to bed late almost every night because we've discovered a new puzzle. Sudoku is so much fun; but, we've had a couple of doozies. My apartment may get cleaned before the holidays. My shopping definitely will get done and the wrapping. The decorating, we'll see.

In the meantime, I'm so ready for this vacation. I'm tired. I need a break.

Christmas on the North Pole

Santa woke up with a headache. The elves were working much too late last night. They were also making way too much noise. As much as Santa wanted to yell at them for his own predicament, he knew he couldn't. The elves had really come through for him this year and deserved to be rewarded. Santa's headache would wear itself out soon enough.

Everyone would have the afternoon off today. Mrs. Claus was preparing a wonderful meal for the whole workshop. Santa also had a special gift for each and every elf. This was going to be their Christmas. The workshop always worked overtime from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This year was no different except that there were more new toys that took longer to make. By the time Christmas actually came around, the elves were already on cleanup detail and were really too tired to enjoy the day. This year would be different!

Mrs. Claus was busy in the kitchen making pies and stuffing 10 turkeys for the feast. The elves were chattering excitedly while they worked. They knew Santa was up to something. They just didn't know what.

The morning dragged for most of the elves. It was a relief when Santa sounded the lunch bell and asked everyone to come back to the work room at 4 o'clock for dinner. "There are sandwiches for everyone. Feel free to take a nap or whatever you feel like until 4. Just don't be late."

The work room cleared out quickly. Santa and the reindeer set about putting the room in order for dinner. The tables were set in bright colors and decorations were hung around the room. The only stipulation Santa made in the decorations was that there could be no likenesses of himself in the workshop. Santa's personal favorite was Frosty the Snowman; it was the North Pole after all.

Once everything was perfect, Santa checked on Mrs. Claus in the kitchen. Everything was under control. Santa took two aspirin and went to take a nap himself. Rudolph was instructed to wake him up at 3:45. No sooner had Santa gotten to sleep that Rudolph's red nose was stuck in Santa's face and he was up again. He was a bit disoriented, but felt better for whatever nap he had.

The whole gang gathered in the workshop at 4 o'clock. Santa had a special sack of gifts which were carefully wrapped and labeled with the names of the elves. "I want to thank each and every one of you for making this year such a success. You've all worked very hard and I offer a mere token of my gratitude." He grabbed the first gift and started calling out the names of the elves to come collect their gifts.

Once the gifts were all passed out, Santa hesitated. "I had such a strange dream. You all have your gifts, but I want to add something extra, something I saw in my dream. I want you all to pick one item that you worked on this past year that you are most proud of and keep it for yourself."

The elves were ecstatic. They worked with these toys every day for years but knew that each and every one was important to some boy or girl somewhere in the world. They had never been invited to keep something they had made. It just wasn't done. Santa had given them the best gift he could possibly have given.

Once the elves had made their selections, they opened their carefully wrapped packages from Santa. Each gift was the same. Each box contained a paperweight that appeared to have snow inside. Each paperweight had Santa and his reindeer flying across the night sky on Christmas Eve. They all had their decoration in Santa's likeness. All was right on the North Pole.

Christmas Tidings

The lights twinkle amid branches, garland, tinsel, and ornaments. A star shines with brilliance at the top. Angels are scattered throughout to ensure that all is well. Santa is expected soon and the children are well aware the time is near. However, days are too long for children to comprehend and they await Santa and his reindeer daily. Their excitement is contagious. They, the children, are what make the holidays meaningful.

Rudolph took much abuse as a youngster, but a jolly old man recognized his specialness and decided that Rudolph had a place with him. Many of our own youngsters go through similar situations. We need to follow Santa's example and acknowledge that specialness without ridicule and without malice. Just as Rudolph had his purpose, so do these children. We can't afford to wait as long as St. Nicholas did to recognize a gift that is presented so readily.

Elves help in various tasks in the workshop. They make toys and wrap gifts and keep Santa and his reindeer healthy and happy. These little people are part of the magic of the North Pole. These little people walk among us. They deserve the respect and admiration twice that of a full-size person. The next little person you see might be on a mission from the boss himself. Be kind.

Oh, and Santa really doesn't like it when people pull on his beard. He has learned to tolerate it well, but, yes, the beard is real. Before you pull on an old man's beard the next time, try pulling on your own hair and then decide that you wouldn't want someone doing the same thing to you. Don't pull on his beard. Santa is, indeed, real. Any child will tell you that without uttering a sound.

Christmas is special and is meant to be filled with good cheer. I've said it before and I'll say it again, good cheer should last all year. Be generous and kind to those you encounter. You never know when you might run across these same people another time. Treat people as you would wish to be treated and more can be right in the world.

Winter Wonderland

As I watch the curtain of white blanket the earth, I notice how pretty the trees are with their natural trim. White turns to grey as traffic moves through the lane. Looking up, white again meets the grey of the clouds discernible against the night sky. The stars won't twinkle tonight as there are no gaps in the gray. The moon will not smile its cheesy smile for us to see either.

A low-flying plane crosses above a distant pine and sparkles brightly as it passes by. It reminds me of the star which adorns most Christmas trees. The wind has stopped blowing long enough for me to enjoy the moment. All that is missing is the music and someone to share the moment with. Alas, life happens quickly and we cannot always make a moment to cherish the beauty of what is.

Winter is often the time for hibernation. I think the bears have the right idea. Most of us just want to get home and keep warm. We miss the miracle of the first snow and only dwell on what our ride to work will be the next day. I wanted my camera earlier to capture what was around me. I was, however, to much in a hurry to get where I was going to run back inside and grab it.

It is a shame to miss how the lights reflect against the snow. Houses are lit when people are home and the lights add to the atmosphere. Many times, it is a silent beauty that awaits us. Let's not wait until someone puts in on a card before we enjoy it. Snow can be a bear to get around in, but the undisturbed landscape can be breathtaking. When was the last time you made a snow angel or a snow man?

I'll dedicate my snow angel to Donovan.

Gingerbread Man

I just don't understand it. All of these women, and some men, spend hours making our families and our houses and then they kill us off by eating us alive. Aren't we too good looking to be eaten? Shouldn't we be preserved. As beautiful as we are, why do we have to be eaten?

Of course, I never did understand why we never got any decent clothing. Mainly we were given buttons. What did they thing we were buttoning up? Our skin didn't open; it didn't need to be closed! And the eyes, they give us these whiter than white eyes with no color at all.

Some times, we get a fur-like trimming on the wrist and ankles. It really doesn't serve any purpose, but I guess it makes our creators feel that we are a little less naked. If they didn't want us naked, they should have made some clothes for us. At least the houses they build for us don't get destroyed quite as fast.

I have seen some fabulous houses. I wonder what the going price is for some of them. The problem with most of them is that they are mere shells. The outsides are done up to the max, while the insides are bare. That's not the way to put a house together! The inside of a house is where the heart is; it shouldn't be ignored.

I've even seen a couple of trains and merry-go-rounds. These were absolutely beautiful. They are also entirely edible. I keep waiting for the day when someone says it is too beautiful to eat and really means it.

About Blogging

The strange thing about my blog is that I usually have no idea what I'm going to write until I just start writing. Often times, something will have happened just before I come online that influences my topic for the day. It could be a movie I've just seen, something I've just read, or osmosis.

Not terribly long ago, I started a story. I wrote what turned out to be the first of six parts. Okay, I thought about the next part a little before the next day, but I hadn't really planned out the story in advance. It just happened. It probably also reads that way too. I'm not sure stories that "just happen" are all that valuable. I haven't decided.

I hope that I've made some contribution to the literary world and the blogging world by being here. Some days are more conducive to that contribution than others. I hope that by doing what I do, what I've been compelled to do every day, I've offered some insight to others who are trying to achieve similar goals. If someone finds one useful piece of information or flashes one smile because of something I wrote, I'm doing okay.

I'm still not totally thrilled with the traffic to my blogs. At this time, though, I don't have a whole bunch of extra hours to devote to building up readership. I hope that people who read and enjoy my stories will come back to read and enjoy the others. On the sidebar, my stories are listed. It may take me a few days to actually add the latest ones, but they will get there.

In the meantime, I hope you're all having a wonderful Saturday.

It Is All About Wrapping Paper and Surprises

How would we feel about Christmas if our presents were just neatly stacked under the tree with now wrapping paper, boxes, and bows? It wouldn't be as exciting. Half of the fun of Christmas is not knowing what's inside until the last moment. The tree becomes adorn with gaily wrapped packages that add so much color to our lives. Once all the presents are distributed, the tree looks a bit forlorn.

We take such pains with our wrapping. The corners of packages become a real art. Even cutting the wrapping paper straight is much of a science. And we have come so far that the tape is invisible and impossible to find. This only means on thing--the paper must be ripped from the present.

I've never been much for bows, but I've gotten a few package decorations over the years that have been keepers. I do believe one package was decorated with a candle that was a duck on a sled. It was very cute. Another package had a snow man. I've had to rescue that snowman on occasion. There's a dog that likes him very much. It doesn't take much to tickle me, so, yeah, I like the decorations.

Without all the trappings, it just wouldn't be the same.

Have a great weekend, all.

Billy, the Misfit Elf

Billy always knew he was a little different. He has vague memories for growing up with people much smaller than himself. It was only when he became too tall for the workshop that Santa and Mrs. Claus decided he needed to be relocated to an environment more suited to his talents and height.

Billy was never very good putting toys together. He even had trouble cutting out the pieces. The one talent Billy had, though, was his way with words. He could spin tales and poems and songs at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, these products weren't in very much demand on the North Pole.

It isn't as though Billy didn't have his impact. All of the elves in the workshop knew some of Billy's earlier stories by heart. They knew the legend of The Reindeer Shoe since they had a hand in the actual events. They knew the story of Frosty the Snowman because Billy's first audience was the elves.

It was a very sad occasion when Billy left the North Pole. The ceilings were simply too low and Billy too tall for comfort. Either the ceiling or Billy would suffer if he stayed. And, we all know, Santa's Workshop is not about suffering. So, Billy was sent to a very nice couple in North Carolina where he could walk freely without bumping his head.

He is still there today. Every so often, he'll get a question of whether he's Santa Claus. His standard answer is "no, I'm just one of the elves."

Santa is in a Bad Mood

Santa didn't know it yet, but he was suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. The North Pole has very short periods of sunlight and it is always winter; the season has taken its toll on the not-so-jolly old man. Santa was getting crankier and creakier with each passing day.

Being as old as he was, it is only natural that his joints would start making noise. If he wasn't so cranky, he would have found humor in the situation. He sounded exactly like the toy soldiers that he made for years. These toys had fallen into disfavor, just like Santa. Even Mrs. Claus was having a difficult time dealing with Santa and his moods lately. And, Mrs. Claus is the sweetest person on the face of the earth.

Right about now, Mrs. Claus was ready to hit Santa over the head to shake him out of his funk. They had tried everything so far and nothing worked. With Christmas just around the corner, Santa had to shape up quick or Christmas would be a disaster. As it is, none of the kids even want to tell Santa what they want him to bring. He just oozes moodiness. They hadn't heard a Ho Ho Ho in weeks.

Santa was going to blow his top when he heard the head elf and an elf from gift-wrapping were expecting a baby any minute now. They had done a good job keeping the secret as long as Santa wasn't concerned about wrapping. As Christmas approached, it would be impossible to keep him away from that department. Mrs. Claus was very nervous about this. The last two elves that became romantically involved had been sent away, each to different locations.

Her nervousness increased drastically when she heard a commotion coming from the far end of the workshop. Gift-wrapping was at that end. Just as she arrived on the scene, she heard the cry of a baby. Babies always made her smile. And then, she saw what she dreaded. In the midst of all of the confusion, there was Santa! The look on Santa's face was one she wouldn't soon forget.

Santa held the newborn baby with tears streaming down his face. He hadn't seen anything so precious in years. The baby grabbed onto his finger and Santa laughed. The laughter was deep and booming and quite unexpected to the new baby who cried in protest. The laughter, though, was a step in the right direction for Santa. His mood was lifting and he was feeling better. This baby had done that for him.

Christmas would be a success. The elves would raise the child on the North Pole with much interference from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Everyone in the workshop liked that arrangement. Santa could be heard all over with his Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas quite often. Santa was back.

White Stuff

There's more of that white stuff coming. It has only been the last few years where snow has become one of the most unbecoming of the four-letter words. We've barely gotten started and I'm tired of it already. In another two weeks, I'll be off for the rest of the year and then it can snow all it wants.

I'm trying to keep my sanity between work, home, and the holidays. Of course, it didn't help that Mom took a tumble down the last few stairs on Sunday. She is nicely black and blue, but fared much better than even she expected with the fall. Parents have to stop doing that shit.

At work, I'm basically in the same place I was when I left on Thursday and it is driving me insane. I actually came home tonight and created a sample database to see if I could recreate my issue. I think I actually have a solution. Unfortunately, the solution came in the form of four queries, but that's okay. I have to move forward and get something accomplished. I have several more tables to populate after I complete this one. I need a break.

I've got at least one more package of Christmas gifts coming. I still have to take my Mom shopping so we can finish hers, but it feels good to be this far ahead on mine. Now if I could just get up the gumption to clean a bit, decorate a bit, and do some wrapping, I'd be in good shape.

I hope you all have a great night and don't have to dig out too much.

It Is Christmas Time in the City

Billy the Blogging Poet is once again doing the 30 days of Christmas. He has generously included two of my posts in his collection for the holidays. I think we should all go over and pay him a visit here.

While you're there, make sure you check out Reindeer Shoe. This is an incredible story involving the spirit of Christmas. I guarantee you'll love it.

A Meager Christmas ( A Story)

Times are rough. Every year it gets more and more difficult to take care of the holiday obligations. I suppose part of it is my fault for having such a large family, but some things happen and it doesn’t make sense to pour over those issues. The kids and I have always been big on homemade gifts for Christmas and birthdays. All of the girls know how to knit and sew. It is amazing how many scarves are needed in such a large family. Of course, the boys never were very good at keeping track of their possessions, so they lost scarves regularly. I can’t really say I blame them. Some of them were pretty ugly. That’s what happens when you use leftover scraps to make your scarves. They do keep us warm, though.

The boys are good working with their hands. They are also good at finding scraps that the neighbors no longer need or want. I remember one year, Jeffrey found a broken fan. He brought it home and fixed it and gave it to me for Christmas. It still works, too. It was kind of funny that we plugged in the fan and tried it out even though we were all freezing that year. We found that turning down the heat by just three degrees can save us a small fortune in heating costs. It was easier to keep everyone bundled up indoors than to find money to pay the bill.

This year, we want to do something a little different. I’ve been saving my change for a whole year so that the kids could have a little bit of money for gifts. I only managed to save $50 since we kept robbing the change whenever we needed small things. Still, $50 dollars divided between 9 kids, we can do something with that. We’re going to the dollar store this afternoon to see what we can find. You’d be amazed what that store sells for a buck.

One of the kids found cute candy cane pens. They were 4 for a dollar. Everyone in the family would get a pen. Another found Christmas tapes for a dollar apiece and decided they would provide the music this year. Now if only the tape player will hold up long enough that we can hear all of her selections. Some of the other finds were boxes of envelopes and writing tablets, coloring books for the younger kids, crayons, and miscellaneous kitchen gadgets. The gadgets will come in handy if we make cookies for Santa.

There will be a letter writing campaign in the days before Christmas where the kids will write to their brothers and sisters and tell them all of the things that they would like to give them for the holidays but couldn’t. It surprises me sometimes how intuitive these kids can be. Last year, my youngest wrote that he wanted to give me a money tree so that we’d always have enough money. You can’t beat that.

In the meantime, we’ve found some old packing paper and we’re going to draw Rudolph, cut him out and decorate him. Then, we're going to play pin the nose on the reindeer. I need to find some red crayons so that we can get the right effect for the nose. I also have a couple of games we can play with candy canes. All of the kids like poker. The candy canes can be the antes. I just need to make sure they don’t get eaten all at once. We also have plenty of board games that have been collected over the years. This year’s winners will each get a piece of candy. I’ve got three chocolate bars hiding in the freezer for just that purpose.

We’re going to have a wonderful holiday. Here’s to hoping yours is the best ever.

'Tis the Season

I think Christmas was deliberately put in December so that winter wouldn't be quite as bleak as it is. Up here on the North Coast, we get snow, cold, and everything in between. With the temperature changes, we get illness. I think my turn came this morning. One side of my nose let loose this morning. This makes no sense. This is the second time recently that half of my face betrayed the other half!

I finally got control of my nose, but not before I got the red moustache. Needless to say, I'm not feeling terribly friendly today. The snow, however, held off. Rumor has it that we have another lake-effect snow storm coming through tomorrow. Yek. A few years back, we got 3 feet of snow over two different weekends. The first one was Veteran's Day weekend (11/11) and the other was right around Christmas.

I don't care how you dice it, it is impossible to find places to put three feet of snow that you've moved. I don't need that kind of weather. It sure is pretty as long as you're safe and sound inside you're own homes. As soon as it comes time to go somewhere, someone with a magic wand had better be there to make it all disappear.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I'm sure I'll sniffle at you tomorrow.

Winter Snow Storm

It was a very messy and slow ride home tonight. We have a lake-affect snow warning on until 4 a.m. Saturday morning. Rush hour was anything but a rush. It was, however, filled with many inconsiderate people who blocked intersections and wouldn't let people get over when they needed to do so.

I think I was on to something the other day, though. My radio station was playing continuous Christmas music the whole way home. The ride could have been so much worse. I wouldn't say that I really enjoyed the ride because I will be the first to admit that I would rather not have snow, but it wasn't exactly terrible.

I left work about 20 minutes early and waded through drifts that were a foot to a foot and a half deep to clean my car off. Still, I was only about 10 minutes later than normal getting home. Fortunately, I don't have to go out again until tomorrow. By then, the storm warning will be over and we will just have more snow.

Oh, the joys of living on the North Coast! When I saw the forecast this morning, snow was predicted for the next six days. Every year, we get further and further into the snow belt. We should be feeling pretty lucky, though. Some years we have snow before Halloween. This year, I think we waited until Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Ho, Ho, Ho

and a bottle of rum. I'll have to go look for that rum. It has been a super long day. I'll see you all tomorrow. Happy Holidays.