Christmas Goals 2009

I set a few goals for Christmas 2009...
The first was to destressify shopping. I did really well with that and managed to get some great deals with some careful planning.
The second was to bake early and freeze everything so I would have it to pull out when needed. I did pretty well with this one. The only problem was that I made Molasses cookies, which are my favorite. I put them in the freezer but I ate them. I could not figure out what happened to the cookies so I naturally blamed Bill. He laughed and explained to me that he has had 0 cookies from the freezer. mmm...Guess it was all me! To remedy the situation a made several dozen more on Monday night. Problem solved;)
The third was to enjoy the season. Holidays bring a great deal of stress for us because of Bill's feelings towards his family. To say the relationship is strained is an understatement. This year I am letting him vent when needed and I am going to enjoy our family, friends, and dogs. I am not going to let the ick tarnish what this season is actually about. Being blamed for something that has nothing to do with me is hard but I am not going to allow the mean words and actions hurt me anymore, twelve years (or maybe it is 13 now, I can not keep track;)  is long enough.
Which brings me to my fourth goal. To celebrate what this season is actually about, the birth of Jesus. I am sad that a storm is coming and may not allow for travel, however I am still celebrating Christmas as it is meant to be celebrated! My bible is marked, Luke 2, and I am truly enjoying the real meaning of Christmas.
Bill, Gus, Sandy, and I might be holding our first Christmas here together this year and that is OK. I know our extended families will find times to celebrate together and I know it will be fun when we do! There is nothing like being surrounded by caring, loving, kind people having a good time together.

We are heading to Brendan and Carter's Christmas program tonight and I can not wait to watch them. In fact I am so excited I am not really sure what to do the rest of the day! It was so much fun watching Brendan last year so it will be double the fun this year with both boys. It also gives us a chance to see Lonnie, Val, Marcy, and Aaron. We are so darn lucky to have Melissa and her extended family in our lives. They are kind of awesome people. Marcy and Aaron are expecting in March so it is fun to see how Marcy "grows" each time we see her. She is probably one of the cutest pregnant women I have every seen!

Merry Christmas to everyone and enjoy this wonderful blessing we can celebrate in our own ways, on our own time, for the same reason.