Canned Laughter

This Christmas all did not go as planned. In order to make next year go a bit smoother, I’m going to jot down a few notes to keep in mind:

• You will get roped into organizing and attending not one, but two office parties for Best Boss Ever.  You will also put in long hours and weekends right up to Christmas Eve making sure that that the office is prepared to go on skeleton crew during the holiday break.  This will leave you too busy/tired to get your Christmas tasks at home done.  Request the week of Dec. 25th off next year or the Christmas Pudding will not get made far enough in advance.
• You will also attempt to have two Christmas celebrations.  You will decorate, shop, wrap and cook once for visitors, and then again for family.  For Heaven’s sake woman, Stop! Once is enough for all of this. Next year either go out or get a caterer for the early celebration.
• You will invite everyone to help with the wrapping and decorating, then re-do everything.   This is just sick and will nearly drive Spouse over the edge.  FYI, gifts do not have to wrapped in coordinating paper and ribbons with the edges taped just so.  Get psychiatric help for your control issues.
• Speaking of wrapping, Spouse did not have fun removing the entire contents of your bedroom closet to search for long forgotten presents purchased months ahead of time and since buried. A better idea is to wrap the pressies when they are purchased and put them in one easy to reach location.  The world won’t stop turning if the kids snoop.
• On the subject of presents, delaying shopping for the folks on your list who revive latent homicidal tendencies in you every year around this time, will not in fact, improve your mood or lower your stress level.  Delaying their gift selections will only keep them on your mind through most of the holidays, causing a nervous twitch to develop in your right eye.
• Finally, when you agree to participate in an on-line home tour, it is just plain nuts to keep delaying taking pictures because this bit seems a little crooked or that bit is not quite right.  It is also ten kinds of crazy to make yourself sick over Christmas in general and give yourself a stress flu.

I hope I follow my own advice and try to relax more next year.

I’d type more words of wisdom to myself, but I need to start on the Christmas feast I’m making for tomorrow.  I figure since Spouse worked Christmas Day, it will be nice to have a do-over tomorrow on his day off.  I’ll just cook and clean and shop and wrap and make sure that everyhing is in the right place and see to it that Christmas is PERFECT this time.  What?