Join Me in Snarkville

Happy Christmas Eve to all. I’m sure you are all having a delightful time and all the presents are wrapped under the tree and certainly NOT debating pasta or no pasta with a four year old for the 42nd time in 20 minutes. I however, am having a ‘perfect’ holiday.

You see, I’m a planner by nature. I like to have a good plan and prep ahead of time for all things. I prefer to have bags packed up when I travel early. I like to have my meals planned and the prep work done in advance so I can throw a few things together and have a great meal. I like to have my holidays sorted out well in advance. I like to have a menu, have the meal shopped for, and all the prep work done. By Christmas Eve, I’m the type A person who would like to be so ahead of the game that I can pour myself a drink and relax.

However, while those are the things I’d like to be — they are also the things I am so NOT. Instead of my heart’s desire for a stress-free Christmas Eve, I instead had a much more traditional Christmas Eve…

1. Christmas Eve Grocery Shopping: Because we were officially OUT.OF.FOOD.
2. Christmas Eve Freak out because I can not for the life of me remember where Santa hid the stocking gifts. (Still wondering on this one — but seeing as though, I’ve not decided on a Christmas Eve present opening or Christmas Morning one…who knows — perhaps Santa will be here by New Year’s)
3. Procrastinated wrapping the last gift because I can not for the life of me figure out how to wrap it (it is larger than the child it is for).
4. Made homemade marshmallows. I’ve wanted to do this for years and finally did it. (For the record it was far easier than I expected, and I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to get marshmallow concrete out of my bowls.)
5. Done the traditional Christmas Eve Target run. (Unlike the grocery store which was rather calm and filled with people who like me needed to do shopping but were NOT freaking out about it and not mean at all — kinda like we were all in a club together…the lame folks who still need confectioner’s sugar on Christmas Eve Club. Target, on the other hand, was filled with those who are now in FREAK!OUT! mode. Note to the guy who was buying an apple slicer, ‘um, dude, she’s not going to like it. I’d go with the gift card and maybe a BOX of wine.’)
6. And finally, because on occasions we do eat in this house, I put on the Christmas pot of Chili. It is a far cry from the highly more traditional ‘Christmas Sushi’ but it is workable.

In the meantime, Prince has played tons of Lego Star Wars on the Wii. Duke has annoyed us all with a sound he picked up from Curious George that he will not stop making — he is now lost the ability to watch Curious George again in my lifetime.

Oh, and the other thing — Duke is still a wee bit sick, which I think either makes this the perfect Christmas OR sucks the Christmas Spirit right out of me — jury is still out.   Let’s review, Duke’s eye was swollen shut for the past four days, he’s been giving a med for his eye which is much improved, only to have a tummy sick that is leaving me with even MORE laundry than I can handle (keeping in mind, I’m still not unpacked from the trip).  I’m thinking that if this isn’t the year I’m visited by three ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, then I never will be visited by them.

(And in case you are curious, tomorrow morning we will be having my family’s recipe of Cheese Braids (wild hair that I HAD to have it came upon me about an hour before I went to the grocery — I do need to make the dough tonight); a roast (which not only have I never done before, I’m not 100% of recipe); green bean casserole (because I LOVE it with all my heart); mashed potatoes; and some unknown dessert (yep, still no idea)….oh and hot chocolate and marshmallows — which is more likely tonight while reading the ‘Twas the night before Christmas and the Christmas story.)

And as the Type A Mommy said as she was last seen running from the kitchen screaming….

Merry Christmas to all and SIT down and hush up already because there is some fun to be having — required FUN. After all this is Christmas, dangit — get some Christmas Spirit already — how about a festive sweater, I’m cold.