Winter Solstice

 Ready or not, Christmas is almost here!

I am definitely leaning towards the "not ready" side of holiday preparations but I am optimistic (perhaps overly) that everything will come together soon. Today is Scott's last day of work before the break. This year he is going several days longer than he has in previous years. Having him working into Christmas week is different for us and it is wreaking havoc with my prep and spirit.  

In addition to being Scott's final day of work before break, it is also Winter Solstice. Every Winter Solstice I can't help but smile as I remember a solstice ceremony my Mom and I attended decades ago. I was in college and I didn't know anybody else in attendance, yet my relative anonymity did little to quell the embarrassment I felt as I watched my mother whip some bongos out of her ginormous purse so that she could drum along with the chanting. 

I do not embarrass easily but I remember wanting to shrink into the wall as I watched my mom happily tapping along on her bongos. (The fact that she just happened to have bongos is a topic for a different blog.) I'm not sure why I was so embarrassed because I remember there were many happy bongo players at the ceremony. There was something about seeing my own mother participating with such zeal that melted my late teen confidence. 

Decades have passed since the bongo experience, yet it still brings a smile to my face. I think every kid needs an experience of being absolutely humiliated by their parents actions- even if the parents are not doing anything overtly egregious. The Winter Solstice Ceremony was mine.

Magic

 I have to agree with Timmy. The week before Christmas takes a really long time! Needless to say, he is a tinge excited about Christmas this year. I look around my house and I feel woefully unprepared for the holiday. My decorating efforts could be interpreted as incomplete, but I'm going to frame it as minimalist. Regardless of the amount of garland I have strung (or kept in the boxes), my kids are feeling festive so that is all that matters. 

Today we are going to take our annual trip to visit Santa. Timmy, whom I suspect is a nonbeliever desperate to keep believing, dutifully made a list to deliver to Santa. I am sad that he isn't 100% convinced in the "magic" of Santa, but I am going to do my best to keep him guessing. I'm hoping that Robby may be able to help keep Santa alive for another year.  

Weekend Wrap-Up

 This past weekend flew by in a moment but I know that I will remember it for years to come. Robby and I went to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas show on Friday evening. Traditionally we have gone to see The Nutcracker, but this year we decided to switch things up and to try a new experience with TSO. We had a great time but I am not certain that TSO will become part of our annual tradition.

The first portion of the show was themed on a Christmas Eve story. This left Robby and me, along with seemingly most of the audience, confused and unimpressed. Thankfully the story portion only lasted for about an hour, allowing the orchestra another hour to redeem the show. The second portion of the performance was AMAZING! Between the songs, the energy, the lasers and the fire, we were thoroughly entertained. 

While I was at the show with Robby, Timmy was busy holiday shopping with my sister. He loves shopping for people and he was excited to find surprises with his Aunt. She even surprised him with a trip to Dave and Busters to play games so, for him, it was the perfect holiday adventure.  

On Saturday I met my friend for an afternoon of shopping and just hanging out. It has been a really long time since I've gone shopping with a friend. I certainly haven't been shopping with anybody since the pandemic. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I was doing it again.

Because of the rain and wind we packed up and came home yesterday morning. Today begins the last work week before the holiday. Eeeek. It's hard to believe that Christmas is so close!